Threnody of the Harbinger
by Hikari Minamoto
Summary: Known as “The Harbinger”, TenTen young leader of the Tiě Lián Triad was terribly wronged, and she intends to reclaim every drop of blood spilt by the cursed Yakuza family known as Hyuuga...but what happens when love gets in the way of revenge?
1. Prologue: Overture to a Dirge

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of Masashi Kishimoto's characters. The only things I own here are my characters and my story. Don't steal them – it makes me cranky. I do use a few quotes and references from other things, but I'll let you know when I do.

**Key:**

"speaking"

"_thoughts"_

_non-English terminology_

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**:: Threnody of the Harbinger ::**

**by: Hikari Minamoto**

**Prologue****: Overture to a Dirge **

War...

Can you imagine it?

A young woman sits on the rooftop of a billion-dollar corporation's skyscraper. The wind is strong tonight, but there are no clouds to obstruct the moonlight. Even so, the light from the city streets is blinding. It's blocking out the stars – it's just that bright. The woman seems slightly annoyed. Her visible brown eye is narrowed, her mouth turned into a slight frown. She wishes she could see them again.

"War..." she mouths silently over into the wind, turning her attention to things more important. Her silky brunette tresses are starting to escape from their odango style – the stray tresses give her a rugged sort of look. The string-style eye patch makes her dangerous. She shivers slightly and pulls the black trench coat more tightly around herself. Who is she? Why is she here? What war does she speak of? Tonight, Tokyo looks the same as it ever has. Her lights are still bright as ever, the sounds of traffic louder than this woman should like. This world appears completely and absurdly normal. Again, she repeats the word. Why?

Suddenly, the woman smiles. Is it a real smile? The pained look in her eye, the wretched expression...

"The quickest way to end it...is to lose it..." Her voice is trembling – one can tell something's amiss. The woman lets a deranged sort of laugh escape her as she pulls out her handgun and positions the muzzle to her temple – her finger on the trigger. "I'll end it tonight," she says and pulls it...

So...can you imagine it now?

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**Note:** The woman's first words are actually a variation on a quote from George Orwell: "The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it."


	2. Hired Guns

**Chapter 1****: Hired Guns**

"P-Please..._please_ don't kill me! I swear I'll pay you back. Just give me two more—"

"_KABLAM!!"_

The man's head snapped backwards as the bullet violently invaded his brain. The sudden, brutal motion created enough momentum to pull the rest of his body backwards as well. A young girl smirked at this fresh body lay strewn across the floor, blood beginning to leak out of the hole in the back of his skull. She puffed at the muzzle of her gun in satisfaction, an icy look in her dark eyes. "Sorry. _Tiě Lián_ (Iron Lotus) don't negotiate."

"Xiaoli!" A sudden, harsh voice sliced through the air.

The young girl squinted and slowly turned to face the newcomer. "Y-Yes, Mistress? I didn't see you there," she replied tentatively, lowering her gun and head in submission.

The new woman was indeed a frightening presence to behold. Though she stood no more than five and one quarter feet tall, she seemed to loom over the girl with ease. A black trench coat adorned with various silver snaps and buckles hung around her shoulders and swished across the floor as she walked. On the back, in blood red lettering, the character for "Harbinger" was embroidered, adding to the overall darkness of her persona. The rest of her clothes were strange too. A simple yet sleek crimson sundress (minus straps) covered her from the chest to the knees, and a pair of strappy black stilettos gave her a few extra inches. Anything more she might be wearing was concealed however, since the trench coat was loosely closed and tied at the waist. Though...the one thing that was perhaps the most unusual about her appeared to be the childish hairstyle she donned (and pulled off) quite comfortably. "Odango" the Japanese called it...

Her lips were pursed in annoyance as she leered at this girl who stood cowering before her. "Do you enjoy defying me?" she demanded venomously.

Xiaoli shook her head quickly. "No! Of course not! I'd never—"

"_SLAP!_"

Xiaoli staggered backwards, clutching her cheek in shock and hurt. The "Harbinger's" deep copper eyes narrowed even further. "Kill one more client without my permission...and you'll join _him_." She motioned to the bloody body lying a few yards away. "Would you like to meet the Dragons, hm? Maybe even Death?"

The younger girl quivered and shook her head "no". The Mistress turned and walked over to the door, heels clacking loudly on the concrete. "Good. I'd rather save my bullets for someone else."

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"Mistress?...Mist—"

"Lee, I told you not to call me that," she said dryly, her coppery orbs half-shut in annoyance.

"Right! Well then, TenTen, I must ask you something!" he announced enthusiastically to the 19-year-old next to him. She continued to stare at him with the same half-shut eyes, peering at her bodyguard from across a long table – presumably used for meetings. "We have a visitor! A youthful new client that wishes to speak with you!"

TenTen sighed and rubbed her temples. "Fine. What kind of client is he?"

"He did not say!" shouted Lee seriously. "Forgive me, TenTen! I have failed you!" The young man began sobbing dramatically. The Harbinger rolled her eyes, wondering why she ever hired him in the first place.

"Lee, stop it. You haven't failed me...just bring him in please?"

"Of course! Right away!"

A few moments later, the drama-king returned with said client – a young man in perhaps his late twenties. His features seemed so familiar...it reminded TenTen, oddly enough, of Bohai – deceased father figure, but she knew that such notions were ridiculous. The man bowed low; TenTen merely nodded her head in acknowledgement, shifting herself in her seat and crossing her legs.

"Good evening, Miss...?" He seemed at a loss.

"Just 'Mistress' for now," she finished for him, growing slightly impatient. "Lee tells me you've come for something?"

"Yes, of course." The man smiled. "My name is Enlai, though my last name is not important. I have a proposition to make..." Enlai paused, maybe for dramatic effect.

"Proposition?" she repeated slowly. "Please explain yourself."

"It seems that both your Triad and my own have a grudge against a certain family, correct?"

TenTen's eyes narrowed. "Hyuuga..." she spat distastefully. "What exactly are you getting at, Mr. Enlai?"

The corners of his mouth twitched in an awkward smile. "Well, to put things simply, our Eldest Brother is getting on in years. He's not exactly up for an escapade at this point in time, so...that's where you come in. The _Tiě Lián_ are quite skilled in our kind of business, so are you up for hire?"

The Harbinger stared blankly at him in response. Was she really hearing him right? "Up for hire?"

"See, now we won't get anywhere when all you do is repeat things, Mistress. It's no secret here in Shanghai. Your Triad came out of nowhere, and now flourishes in the Dark Trades – drug trafficking, smuggling, arms dealing, assassinations...and you've got a grudge against the Yakuza, do you not?"

"Yes..." she replied hoarsely, hardly daring to hope that this was really happening. "I do."

"Good. That's just what Elder Brother wants. Someone dangerous who's got the bloodlust naturally ingrained. Though your Triad is strong, it's quite small...that's where we can help."

"How? How are you going to help me?"

"Money. Money and men," he told her smugly. "We'll give you what you need, and you go do what you need to over there."

She studied him carefully, leaning forward and placing her elbows on the dark table top. "So...we get our hands dirty, while you sit back and watch. Is this really what your Elder Brother is asking?"

Enlai smiled. "Precisely."

TenTen smiled back. "Good. When do we leave?"

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"What?! We're really going to go?..._Really?!_" shouted another member of the _Tiě Lián_. This one was a bit older and wore an excessive amount of make-up. "No way! You're kidding!"

"Oh, shut-up already. If Mistress said so, it's true," snapped another girl. It only took a quick glance around the room to see that the entire group was composed of female members (excluding Lee and Gai – another bodyguard of TenTen's who looked like he could be Lee's father). All in all, there were about twenty-five of them. Each was occupying a seat at the long table with TenTen at the head, and Lee and Gai at either side of her.

The Mistress sighed and tapped her finger on the table. "Yes, Daiyu. We are really going to go. Now...are you all done doubting or shall I continue?"

Silence.

"Good. Now, we're leaving tomorrow on the first boat out. Enlai's men will meet up with us at the harbor in Tokyo. Now, since only two of you (excluding myself, Lee, and Gai) speak Japanese, Enlai's hired a translator. You non-speakers go with him. Xiaoli and Yingtai – you'll come with me."

Yingtai looked up and nodded. Xiaoli merely sat there in sullen silence – a huge welt standing out on her cheek. TenTen frowned. "Xiaoli! I hit your face, not your ears. And am I wrong to assume the gunfire did not deafen you?"

Xiaoli shook her head. "I'm sorry. Forgive me, Mistress."

The Harbinger turned her attention back to the briefing, ignoring the girl as she had been. "Now...for the basic plan..."

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This was it. This was finally it! TenTen clutched the railing nervously. All these years...all the training, the theft, the plotting, the recruitment...it was finally going to payoff. She'd been waiting for an opportunity like this. But she had to wonder...who was this Enlai? Whose Triad did he belong to anyways?

"TenTen! TenTeeeen!! TenTen! TenTenTenTenTenTenTen—"

"SHUT.UP, Lee!" she ordered. He snapped his mouth shut immediately. "What is it?"

"I just wanted to tell you how youthful you're looking today! And I want you to remember – you must do your best always!" His eyes burned with determination, those monstrous eyebrows of his twitching slightly. It was hard to stay mad at either him or Gai...

"Thank you. And Lee, this is going to be more risky than usual. Please take a gun already. It's common sense." TenTen knew what the answer was, however. Lee had touched a gun only once in his life, and it was more than enough for his tastes. To make up for it, the boy had trained for days on end in martial arts, making him a most formidable opponent and compensating for his lack of weaponry. In Shanghai, he could do more than hold his own...but in Tokyo...she wasn't so sure.

"No thank you, TenTen! I do not wish to use a gun – only my youthful skills as a martial artist!"

"Atta boy!" shouted Gai, jogging up to the pair. "Lee, gaze into my manly features and know this: youth shall never fail you!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

TenTen muted them out of her head as they continued on. Gai was a mentor to Lee, so they were very close...but it got quite annoying after a few minutes. Besides, she had to focus on other things. It would be only an hour or so before they arrived. Then, the Triad would split up into five groups of five, each heading off to their own district of Tokyo.

The Harbinger gave a passing couple a dirty look – sending them hurrying off in another direction. People who didn't understand were annoying...they were so wrapped up in the disgusting, happy little lives that they lead. There was no misery. There was no hurt. No...that had been reserved for her and her little sisters, hadn't it?

"Mistress?"

The unexpected voice at her side snapped TenTen back to reality. "Yes..." she replied dully.

"I want to ask you something..."

"What is it, Yingtai?" she sighed.

"Are we ever going to return?"

TenTen's copper orbs shifted to meet the deep hazel ones in surprise. "Return where?"

"Home...to Shanghai. Will we still be a family after this is over?" The girl pulled at her coat nervously.

"Yingtai..." The _Tiě Lián'_s Mistress felt a strange emotion wash over her. It felt like sadness mixed with an unusual sort of anger. This girl next to her...her little sister...was very young. She was at most fifteen. TenTen's heart hardened. She'd made the terms of joining this Triad very clear. In fact, to join – one had to swear to help avenge the deaths of the Mistress's first family. Then, they signed it in blood. Yingtai knew what she was getting into – all of them did.

The Harbinger turned and looked out over the vast sea they were crossing, the coast of Japan just coming into sight now. "We'll still be a family no matter what. We signed a blood pact, remember? We're all sisters now...and brothers if you count Lee and Gai."

"But will we return?"

TenTen had an eerie sort of feeling run down her spine. It had suddenly gotten very chilly. The Mistress shivered and pulled her coat tighter around her body. "Yes..." she replied, but somehow everything in her said "no."

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**Thank you to those who've reviewed so far! **

-- Kimberly – annikacan --

**Anyways, I hope it's not moving too fast...or slow. Right now, I just want to get the basic background info cemented down before I move into introducing new groups and characters. Well, that's all I've got to say for the moment, so...any constructive criticism would be loved. Reviews are loved too. The more reviews I get, the faster I update. It makes me feel like more people actually care about the story... uu" **

**- Hikari**


	3. Run in

**Chapter 2****: Run-in **

This scent...it reeked of burning flesh. TenTen reached out and cautiously allowed her fingers to rest on the blackened face – the features were so distorted, one could barely recognize it was once human at all. Suddenly, the eyes opened, revealing milky white to contrast the all-over blackness. Her breath hitched in her chest as she gasped for air, trying to scream...but nothing came out.

The blackened face grinned, chunks of charred flesh flaking off as it cracked a smile. "Avenge me...avenge us..." the corpse croaked. "TenTen..."

She felt tears running down her face as she opened her mouth to speak, but again the words refused to come. The corpse reached out and latched onto her wrists. "Avenge us!"

The girl jerked and pulled, trying to free herself. It was in vain. She tried harder, and harder, and harder yet. Then, the blackened corpse tightened its grip, blood beginning to leak out of the eye sockets. "Mistress!"

She stopped cold. What? What did it just call her?

"Mistress?!"

TenTen slowly opened her eyes, the blackened corpse fading away into nothingness. It had been a dream...hadn't it?

"Mistress?" She turned to find Yingtai sitting next to her.

"What's the matter? Are we there?" she yawned, rubbing her forehead.

"Yeah, we've just docked! Come take a look, Mistress! Tokyo's simply amazing from what I can tell already."

TenTen grabbed her duffle bag and allowed herself to be pulled along until she was on dry land again. It looked like Enlai's group was waiting for them already. The Harbinger eyed them coldly – of course, he'd brought her actual _men_. She found that annoying. From what she'd learned on the streets, all men were sexist pigs who had a one-track mind when it came to the female race.

"Aha! Mistress, you've arrived just on time!" a familiar voice called out.

"Enlai..." she stated frigidly.

"Come, come! If we're to be working together, we must be friends! Is that any way to greet your friend?"

"I do not make friends so easily."

Enlai looked slightly taken aback. His expression turned a bit more mischievous, maybe even threatening. "Then perhaps I should say, 'Is this any way to treat your _employer_?'"

TenTen sighed. "Fine, but can we get to the arrangements? There _is_ a time schedule that we happen to be on."

The Chinese man smirked and nodded, motioning to a nearby warehouse. "Are you all up for a bit of 'shopping' this morning?"

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"This is mine! I call this one!" shouted a girl holding up a shiny new Colt 1911.

TenTen rolled her eyes, returning her attention to Enlai. "You say 'torturous'?"

He smirked. "Well, wouldn't _you_ think so? I mean, an exploding bullet is bad enough, but add in a bit of enriched Uranium-235 and fill the core with Fluorine? I'd say whoever's on the receiving end of this is in for one hell of a time."

The Harbinger cautiously eyed the magazine lying on the table before her. "I'll take them. You're sure they'll fit?"

"Please. Do you think we'd special order these only to have them be the wrong size?"

"It's not often someone buys bullets to suit a tailored gun of this caliber, much less ordering them ahead of time – _before_ we actually agreed to help," she retorted coldly, adding "and I need more rounds for the Dragons."

Enlai snapped his fingers, signaling a pair of underlings to hoist a large trunk onto the table. "Filled with rounds for two TEC-9's. _Your_ TEC-9's to be exact. I believe that they too are customized?"

She nodded and untied her coat for the first time in a while – revealing a shoulder holster supporting two 317mm, fully automatic firearms. Each was capable of holding 75 rounds and forged of titanium. Inscribed on either side was a Chinese dragon and the letters "RD-17". Enlai gaped. "Twin Rising Dragons...you've made their name known quite well over in Shanghai. Think you can do it here in Tokyo? Some might try to destroy your Triad, just for daring to step foot here."

TenTen smirked and reached to another holster – this one a belt resting loosely on her hips. The Harbinger pulled another gun, pointed it right at Enlai, and cocked the barrel. She tilted her head to one side and smiled at his obvious horror. "Well, I guess they'll have a run-in with Death if that's the case."

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"TenTen! You must wait!" called Lee.

The Mistress stopped and tapped her foot impatiently. "What Lee? We're late."

Gai interjected. "Please, TenTen. We've been trekking around all day. The youth...it's fading!"

She looked at Gai skeptically, then at the rest of her group. Xiaoli and Yingtai looked exhausted, Lee looked half-drunk, Gai looked...well, like he always did actually. "The theatre house is only a few more blocks down. Think you all can make it 'til then?"

They nodded sullenly. "Good. This is our first lead! We can't just pass it up." To get this so-called "lead", TenTen had beaten the living hell out of a few thugs who'd claimed they were going to kill her and her lot of Chinese...well, they'd used a few dirty words at that point. In the end, she'd been told, as rumor had it, a few of the Hyuuga enjoyed traditional theatre and dance performances. The theatre she was headed to now was their favorite.

After another ten minutes of rigorous marching, the small group filed into said theatre – paying for tickets and throwing nasty looks at those who whispered about them nervously. Of course, they'd arrived late thanks to Gai's ridiculous navigational skills (or lack thereof), so they merely stood at the back against the wall.

While the other four got a well-deserved break, TenTen's copper orbs shifted from person to person. However, there was no way to determine anything since all she could see was the backs of their heads. How annoying...

Huffing in irritation, the girl whirled on her heels and marched right back out into the lobby. The group watched her go, but decided that they'd wait until she actually told them to follow. Many, many tirades had been delivered when they'd followed too soon.

The Harbinger's coppery eyes flashed indignantly. How was she going to find _anyone_ like this? The Yakuza could have been sitting right in front of her, and she wouldn't be able to tell. She let loose a string of Chinese swear words, cursing every man, woman, and child in the Hyuuga family.

"Hmph. Damn foreigners," a voice behind her interrupted.

The girl stopped and turned, eying this newcomer with cold precision. "_G__ǒ__urìde_ (son of a bitch)..."she taunted, letting the word roll off her tongue slowly. The man stopped dead in his tracks and returned her leer.

"Excuse me, did you say something? I'm afraid you'll have to speak in Japanese though. I don't speak _lesser _tongues." His piercing eyes were narrowed with malice – she would have considered him blind had he not been looking directly at her. The man would have been extremely attractive too, had he not been such an asshole.

TenTen smirked. "Really now? Is that the best insult you can throw at me?" She studied him carefully. The chiseled features, pearly eyes, expensive business suit, and luxurious mass of hair tied loosely back gave one the impression that this man came from a wealthy family of some sort. Interesting…

"You're not _worth_ my best insults."

"Oho! Touché!" she said, feigning amusement. "But seriously now, you're only proving how bland the Japanese really are. Good evening." TenTen bowed low with a flourish as a sign of mockery. She obviously didn't respect him at all. She then turned and sauntered off in the opposite direction, giving the man the "one-finger salute" without so much as turning to face him again.

The man's eyes narrowed into mere slits. No one, and that meant no one, had _ever_ dared treat him with such contempt. No one. In fact, he was rather in a state of shock at the moment. Who did this foreigner think she was? Filthy low-life...

"Neji-sempai!"

The shrill voice jolted him out of his thoughts. He turned to find a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl running at him (well, as best she could anyways…platform shoes are always hard to _run_ in). "Neji-sempai!" she repeated again, drawing closer.

"Ino…" he hissed under his breath. This girl was such a pain.

"I finally found you! Where have you been?! Hiashi-san is really getting annoyed…"

Neji closed his eyes and tuned everything out until she'd finished. "Tell him I'll be right there. I was…chatting with someone."

Ino tilted her head so she could see behind him, blue-eyes zeroing in on a retreating figure with two buns perched atop her head. "_Her_?!" she blurted out. "You were actually talking to a _woman_ outside of the family? And who the hell is she? I mean for crying out loud – look at that character on her trench coat! What the hell's _that_ supposed to mean?! And her _hair_…"

Neji tuned her out again. Yes, it wasn't often he talked to "normal" people…much less females. Hell, he only conversed with Ino because she was a member of the Yakuza too, from the American based group actually. See, there was a big event coming up for the Hyuuga family, so both the American and the Japanese branches were gathering here in Tokyo. Neji smirked, wondering if this Chinese broad might actually ruin it somehow. Something told him that their destinies just might be intertwined…though he had no idea how at the moment.

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"I met one today…"

The group gaped at their Mistress. "What?!" sputtered Xiaoli. "What happened? Did you kill him?"

TenTen shook her head resentfully. "Of course not. I'm not that stupid." She saw that she'd have to explain further from the confused looks on their faces. "You see, if we're rash about this, if we're just one bit sloppy, we'll all die."

Xiaoli crossed her arms. "I don't get it. I thought we came here to kill them. You had a perfect chance, Mistress – why didn't you just take it?"

The Harbinger's coppery eyes narrowed. "This is your problem, Xiaoli. You're always too eager to kill…If I had killed him, things would have gotten one hell of a lot tougher for us. The entire family would be on high alert. In fact, they'd probably hunt each and every one of us down until we'd all been slaughtered. See? That's why I didn't kill him…yet."

The group smiled. That's what they wanted to hear.

The Mistress rubbed her temples and bade them goodnight, heading up to the motel room. They'd reserved three of them – one for the two girls, one for the two men, and one for TenTen. The bun-haired girl sighed heavily and sat on the edge of her rickety old mattress, earning herself a loud squeak from the thing. The image of that man ran through her mind over and over again. Those eyes…she'd heard about them, seen pictures of them…but this was the first time she'd seen a pair in real life.

"_BRRRING!!...BRRRRING!!...BRRR— "_

She snatched the phone off the nightstand. "TenTen."

"Everything's in position. What would you like us to do?" a low voice whispered into the mouthpiece.

She tapped the side of her nose, thinking. "Alright, meet at Point B tomorrow morning. I want all of you there at 5 o'clock sharp – no mistakes. And Enlai?"

"Yes?"

"_Don't_ be late..." _CLICK_.

She hung up and flopped onto the mattress. TenTen couldn't help but smile now, for things were going perfectly. If everything continued on in the same fashion, she'd have her vengeance in just a few short weeks. Hell, she'd waited nine years for this. Three weeks would be nothing.

"I'm coming for you. Yes, you...Mr. _G__ǒ__urìde,_" she whispered into the emptiness.

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**Thank you for the reviews!**

– Maiana – ana – Tsukiko Yuki –

**Anyways...yesh. Hope you like it so far, and I'm trying to keep the OOC-ness to a minimum. **

**- Hikari**


	4. Defining Marks

**Chapter 3****: Defining Marks**

The air was incredibly chilly. The crisp coolness was so dry; it was starting to make TenTen's nostrils ache. She shivered under the dim glow emanating from the street light and pulled her black coat tighter around herself.

Enlai was late.

"Where is he?!" she snorted irritably, tapping her stiletto-ed foot. "I told him not to be late..."

"So sorry, Mistress!" a cheery voice called from rather close by. So...he'd arrived had he?

TenTen narrowed her eyes at him. "What happened? I said 5 o'clock _sharp_! _Not_ five after five..._not_ 10 after five...No. I said _five sharp_!" Her small group winced, knowing that Enlai was definitely in for it now.

"Forgive me, but we ran into a slight...problem on the way here."

Her coppery eyes snapped over to meet his. "What 'problem'?"

Enlai shrugged. "Well, I guess the police here are gearing up for something big...big as in Hyuuga family big. They spotted us and thought we were with them, but it was all just a big misunderstanding."

"...Well?"

"'Well' what?"

"Did you take care of it? Are we going to have problems?" she demanded.

Enlai grinned. "Of course not! Kakashi-san was very laid back."

"Kakashi-san?"

"Mistress!" Enlai whined. "You're repeating things again!"

TenTen snorted and turned her back to him. "Last night, you said everything was in place, yes?"

"Yes...I did."

"Good. Then all we've got to do is wait and lay low until the big day. You're _positive_ that the date is correct?"

Gai cleared his throat and struck a gorgeous pose to get their attention. "If I might interject my manly opinion, Mistress – I firmly believe that the area has been breached! Allow me and Lee to jog the entire parameter to re-secure it!"

TenTen waved her hand, signaling them to do as they please.

"Thank you, TenTen! Lee!"

"Yes, Gai-sensei!" He snapped into a rigid salute.

"Awaaaaaaaaayy!!" he cried, raising one arm like Superman. Lee followed suit.

After a few tense moments of silence, the duo returned. TenTen raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

"Dog."

Everyone could have fallen over backwards at that moment. After she'd recovered from the shock, the Harbinger grabbed Lee (Gai was much taller than her so it wouldn't work right) by the shoulders and shook him – screeching about wasting time and whatnot. When that was through, the two parties parted ways...until the time came for the plan's initiation.

TenTen suggested everyone split up and take a separate route back to the motel. She still couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched...

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"Hn." Pearlescent eyes narrowed tetchily.

"What do you mean '_hn'_?!" shrieked a pink-haired girl. "You're getting _married_! Aren't you just a little excited?"

"Hn."

A raven-haired, obsidian-eyed man to the left of Neji smirked as if glad he wasn't the one being questioned. To _his_ left, a blonde-haired man sat with a girl in either arm. "Hey, Neji-sempai? What kinda food ya' servin'?"

Neji ignored him, stood, and exited the room in silence – obviously perturbed. The raven-haired man shook his head. "Dumbass..." he stated simply to the blonde. "All you think about is food...and girls."

"Shut-up, Uchiha!" the blonde replied. "I wasn't talking to _you_."

"Hey! Quit being such an ass to Sasuke-kun!" shouted the pink-haired girl. "He's right you know."

"Eh?! All you ever do is take _his_ side, Sakura-chan!" whined the blonde. "Why?"

"Because..." she snorted, crossing her arms over the red, low-cut blouse. "He's not a loud-mouthed pervert like _you_, Naruto-kun."

While the two continued their bickering, Sasuke gave an irritated "Tsch" and left. They were so annoying... Once outside, the young man loosened his tie a bit and stuck both hands in either of his pant's pockets. A stroll might be calming...maybe. Maybe not. But either way, he wasn't being bothered by either of those two. How was it that they'd already started their fighting so early in the morning? For crying out loud... They were so –

"_OOMPH!!_"

The sudden blow to his stomach knocked the air right out of the dark-haired boy. Looked like he'd run right into someone. "Watch it..." he growled menacingly, trying to regain his composure. Technically, he should have been watching where he was going too, but why take all the blame when you can dish it onto someone else?

"Excuse me? I don't believe I heard you right...idiot." A bun-haired girl with coppery eyes was glaring right at him, rubbing her head. So that's what he'd hit. Sasuke narrowed his dark eyes.

"I said, 'watch it'. Or are you too stupid to understand?"

TenTen's eyes flashed. "So that's how it is? Damn Japanese. Think you're so much better than the rest of us?!" she demanded, her voice growing louder with each word. People were starting to stare.

The Uchiha smirked. "No. Just _you_."

That was all it took. In less than a second, Sasuke found himself breathless once more – this time, he'd actually doubled over. Then, her fist came at him again...but he saw it this time. The man leaned to the side, easily avoiding her second blow and taking this opportunity to draw a gun out of his jacket.

The Harbinger unclenched her fists when she saw this could get ugly and turned to leave without another word. However, a loud _CLICK_ behind her said she should probably stop. TenTen slowly turned to find the gun pointed right in her face.

"See? Still better..." he spat, dark eyes narrowed maliciously.

TenTen held up both hands in surrender. "What do you want now?"

"I think you need a lecture on how to treat people."

She leered at him. This guy was turning out to be just like that Hyuuga she'd met! "Heh, cute," the girl mocked.

"Shut it." Sasuke positioned himself so that passerby's wouldn't see what was really going on. "Keep talking and you're in for one hell of a surprise."

"Scary..." she taunted, ignoring the threat. "So, what now? Will you shoot me in cold blood, right here in the street?"

The man looked unsure. "No..." he replied slowly. "But you _will_ learn your manners. See that building?"

"I see lots of buildings!" TenTen purposefully tried to act like an airhead, hoping that he'd forget this and let it go. Apparently, she'd challenged a Yakuza...and hopefully, it wouldn't ruin the plan.

"_That_ one, idiot," he hissed, nodding at a fancy restaurant just across the street. "Head towards it now."

After several moments of directing and angry retorts, the pair arrived, went in, and headed towards the back room. Once they'd gotten away from the windows, the man shoved TenTen down to the hard cement and glared angrily down at her.

"Take off your jacket."

"What?!" The Harbinger could hardly believe this. "What are you planning on doing to me?"

"Do. It. Now." _CLICK_. He snapped the gun safety off.

Glaring daggers at the man, TenTen obeyed and slowly untied her jacket. She waited a minute, then let it slide off her shoulders – revealing her skin. Sadly enough, she'd left the Dragons and Death back at the motel (just in case something like this happened), so there wasn't anything exciting...only the tattoos.

"I thought so." Sasuke lowered the gun, black eyes studying the various marks.

"What?"

"I wanted to see who you really are..._what_ you really are..." He stepped closer.

TenTen, though she was still wearing the red dress, suddenly felt very bare under his scrutiny. It was true. Her tattoos said a lot about who she was, and she wasn't quite comfortable with him knowing she was more than just a civilian.

Sasuke smirked. "Hmph, butterflies? So you're an escape artist...and a rose? How precious. What birthday was it you spent in prison, hm?"

"...My 16th," she muttered, averting her eyes.

The Uchiha's eyes glinted as they roved over the other marks. "Dragons? Tell me, what's this here supposed to mean?" He viciously jabbed the gun's muzzle into her flesh, making her wince in pain.

TenTen's eyes narrowed. "Curious, are you?" At that instant, something collided into her face, causing her vision to spot out for a few moments. She could taste blood in her mouth too – she'd most likely bit her lip.

"You're not in a position to play games, woman. My patience is wearing thin."

The Harbinger answered by spitting her blood on his crisp, white shirt – leaving a huge red stain on the expensive silk. She'd have made an attempt to beat his face in earlier, but her cover would be blown and the whole plan would go down the drain. As for the Yakuza's response to this...

Sasuke stared at the blood for a moment, as if disbelieving that it was really there and she had really done that. When he looked back up at her, his obsidian eyes were burning with sheer fury. "This was a good shirt."

TenTen opened her mouth to say something, but the Uchiha was too quick. He reached out and slapped her across the face as hard as he could – sending the girl tumbling back to the floor. He waited until she staggered back to her feet before seizing her by the neck and pinning her against the wall. TenTen's head hit the cement so hard she nearly passed out, but she fought against it – struggling desperately for breath. _"Don't fight, TenTen. Don't ruin this...you can't blow it now..." _

"Uchiha..." a cold voice sliced through the air.

Sasuke smirked, still keeping his eyes on TenTen. "What do you want? I'm busy."

"Let her down...now."

"Why should I? She ruined my shirt."

Neji took a few steps towards them, eying the suffocating girl that Sasuke still had pinned against the wall. "I said 'let her down'," he repeated coolly, reaching into his coat.

Sasuke took note of this action. "Heh, whatever..." The raven-haired man released his hold and turned to leave as if nothing had happened. "I'll just deal with her later." And then he disappeared out the door.

The Harbinger coughed and sputtered violently, gasping for air as she leaned, doubled-over, against the wall. It was another moment until she was able to regain her composure and face her "savior".

"Thanks..." she told him callously. "So, what do you want?"

He merely stared at her, then turned to leave just as the first man had done. But then...something stopped him. Neji paused. "Who are you?"

The Harbinger hesitated as she reached down for her trench coat. "Who am I?" she asked. "Why do _you_ care?"

"I want to know."

"I'm just...nobody..." she faltered, sliding the coat over her arms again and retying the belt. "That's who I am. Nobody."

"Hn."

She raised an eyebrow, taking a step towards the door. Neji noted her bruised face and the dried blood on her lips. "Wait." TenTen paused as if considering it, but decided to keep going anyway. "...Please."

"What do you want from me!?" she demanded, crossing her arms as she complied with the request.

The Hyuuga smirked acidly. "You can't leave just yet."

Sepia orbs widened in slight surprise mingled with fear. "What do you mean I ca—" _THUMP!_

TenTen's eyes rolled backwards as she crumpled into a ball on the floor, revealing who'd just knocked her out cold. "Bothersome..." sighed a man with a tight ponytail and silver earrings. "What a drag..."

Neji scowled. "Maybe so, but I'd like to find out what she's doing here. She's from a Triad you realize?"

The other man rubbed the back of his neck and re-pocketed his gun. "Even more bothersome...seriously, is it that big a deal? Can't we just dump her and forget about this?"

"Hn..." Neji wondered the same thing, but his curiosity had already been aroused. He wanted to know who this girl was and why she was here. Just the fact that she'd gotten Sasuke all hot and bothered was interesting – hardly anyone could manage to pull that off. And besides that, she was the one who'd so rudely spoken to him just last night.

"Nara. Bring her to the house. I'm going to question her once she's awoken."

"Fine..." yawned the pony-tailed man, leaning down to pick her up. Neji watched for a moment, pearlescent eyes searching her form for some clue as to who she was...besides "nobody". The exotic orbs hitched on her hand as Nara slung her over his shoulder. There were three distinctive dots tattooed on the skin between her left forefinger and thumb.

"I need nothing..." he muttered.

"You say something?"

Neji ignored him and turned to go, his thoughts lingering on other things. This was going to get very interesting indeed...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**Hello all! No reviews this time, so I'll skip the thank-you's. Anyways, here's chapter four. I know in this chapter TenTen seems a little...weak, but that's only because she wanted to appear so. If she tried to fight her way out of the situation, the Yakuza would know she wasn't "normal". So...yes. TenTen isn't weak though. Not by a long shot! So...guess I'm off to work on the next chapter. Bye for now! ; )**

**- Hikari**


	5. For Those Too Weak

**Chapter 4****: For Those Too Weak**

Pain...this was pain, right? TenTen groggily forced one eye open, then the other. Her head felt like someone had stuck a knife through it, while her face felt like it had gained some serious pounds. What had happened? Oh wait...that's right...

"Where...Where am I?" she moaned, struggling to focus her blurred vision.

"The Hyuuga household," a cold voice answered.

The girl's eyes shot open – oh, she was wide awake now. "_You_..." she spat. "Why am I here? What do you want with me?!" It was that man...that Hyuuga that she'd been running into quite a lot lately.

Neji merely stared at her for a moment, studying her. TenTen duly noted that her hands were tied behind her back and her feet were bound in a similar fashion. This was going to be difficult.

"You aren't in a position to ask questions..." he finally replied.

The Harbinger leered at him, eyes filled with hatred. If looks could kill, well...let's just say that Neji would have died a very slow, painful death. "_Chui kang! Bùyàoli__ǎ__n de dōngxī_ (Asshole! You are shameless and less than human)!" she hissed venomously.

"Don't think I can't understand you..." he told her coolly. "I said that I didn't _speak_ lesser tongues. I never said that I couldn't understand them." She could see the triumph in those pearly eyes.

"Bastard..." she muttered, earning herself a vicious glare.

Neji gave an irritated "Hmph" after a moment, deciding to return to what he'd been saying. "Which triad do you belong to, 'Harbinger'?"

"Like I'd tell you..." she snorted. "You think it's going to be easy getting information out of me?"

"I never said it'd be easy," he replied in a casual tone. TenTen averted her eyes angrily. This man's icy cool demeanor was so...infuriating! "...So, are you going to tell me?"

"Like hell I am!" she scoffed. "What makes you think I'm part of a triad anyways? Can't a girl get inked without being accused of gang activities?"

Neji raised an eyebrow. "I need nothing," he finally said.

"Excuse me?"

"I. Need. Nothing," he repeated slowly, pronouncing every word. "Your left hand – that symbol between your fingers...I need nothing, right?"

She merely glared at him.

"I'll assume that's 'yes'. It's a telltale gang mark...though the Vietnamese usually are the ones who have it..."

The Harbinger sighed. "You meet all kinds of people...in prison."

"'Prison'?" he repeated, taking a seat across from her. His pearly eyes had narrowed suspiciously. "So you're admitting you're a member of a triad?"

She nodded tiredly. "I knew those marks would come back to haunt me...anyways, happy? Can I go now?"

He smirked. "You really think I'll let a triad member free without knowing why she's here?"

TenTen glowered in silence. She should have known...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Where is she?!" shrieked the dark-haired girl. Xiaoli was not known for her patience.

"Stop shouting already..." sighed her female comrade, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed. "Mistress will be home soon, so quit worrying."

"You said that an hour ago," Xiaoli replied sourly.

Gai and Lee merely paced back and forth nervously, too deep in thought to say anything for the moment. Yingtai shook her head. "I don't know why all of you are so worried. Mistress has done this before, and everything's been fine. She probably decided to check out the area or something..."

"Indeed!" shouted Gai. "Our precious flower of youth, the beautiful TenTen, would never allow herself to be so easily overtaken!"

Yingtai and Xiaoli rolled their eyes. Sadly, they had no idea what kind of predicament their Mistress was in at the moment.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"STOP IT!!" she screeched at the top of her lungs. Neji's eyes narrowed slightly, but he refused to look away. "I said cut it out! Do you know how much you're freaking me out right now?!"

"Precisely the point. Are you going to tell me yet?"

TenTen squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. He'd been staring at her for nearly twenty minutes now...it was getting creepy. Usually, having a really handsome, rich, well-to-do man look at you wouldn't be so bad. However, this was not just any good-looking guy. This was a Yakuza. This was a Hyuuga. This was her enemy. This was one of those monsters who'd killed her family...

"Qù nǐde (f off)," came the hoarse whisper.

Neji leaned forward on his elbows. "Perhaps you'd like me to resort to other methods then?"

"I don't care...do what you'd like." She stared listlessly at the floor. The Hyuuga sensed that something troubling was going through her head right now.

"So tell me, 'Harbinger', do you have any family?"

"...no."

"Not even a parent? Sibling?"

"I _said_ no. I don't have any blood relations…I wasn't quite as lucky as you it seems."

"Hn..." Neji casually leaned back in his seat, as if pondering something, until a soft knock on the door interrupted him. "What is it?"

A girl with short black hair and the same white-pupiled eyes poked her head in nervously. "U-Um...sorry to interrupt, Neji-niisan..."

"Stop calling me that..." he stated coldly, not bothering to look over at the girl. TenTen wondered why he was treating her so harshly, since they were obviously related.

"I-I'm sorry…I'll try t-to remember from now on…"

Neji waved it off. "Did you need something, or are you here to waste my time?"

Ouch. TenTen could almost feel the sting of that one. The girl shook her head. "No, I-I wanted to ask you something. It's for the…the w-wedding…"

The man's eyes narrowed irritably as he shifted them over to the Harbinger. He stared at her hard as if demanding she shut off her ears – this was not her business. TenTen merely smiled sweetly and turned to the girl in the doorway. "Oh, who's getting married?"

The girl looked at her in surprise. "U-Um…it's mine…and Neji's. W-Who are you again?"

TenTen looked over to Neji. "Ahhh...so you two are getting married?" The Harbinger's sepia orbs glistened with malicious intent. "Precious...and I thought marrying your cousin was something reserved for lower classes," she sneered.

The male Hyuuga looked as if he wanted to slap her, but he refrained. It was if he didn't trust himself to move or speak, lest he betray his anger. TenTen took this opportunity to continue. "So that's what the Hyuuga family is – a monstrous pack of inbred oddities...is that why your eyes are so strange, hm? It's surprising that you've actually succeeded here in Japan. Over in China, I believe we'd put you in a little thing called the 'freak show'. What would your act's name be called I wonder?"

The girl standing in the door looked like she wanted to cry but ran from the room before the tears could fall. The Harbinger scoffed. "You're all a bunch of sick low-lives. I hope you enjoy it – your so-called 'marriage' I mean..."

The Hyuuga's hands had clenched into fists. It looked like she'd hit a soft-spot. "I bet your parents were siblings...it wouldn't be surprising..."

"Shut up."

"Oh, have I hurt your feelings, Hyuuga? Have I bothered you?" she inquired innocently. "Well, I'm not sorry."

"I'm done with you. You had your chance, but now it's over." He abruptly stood and exited the room, seething in anger. TenTen smiled.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Whoa! Neji-sempai, what's wrong?!" shouted Naruto from across the room, watching intently as the Hyuuga stormed in from the interrogation office.

"Leave me be," he demanded, heading upstairs without another word. Sasuke smirked, Naruto shrugged, Shikamaru yawned, Ino and Sakura resumed their bickering. However, the Uchiha decided to go see what the matter was.

Within a moment, he'd found the Hyuuga's room and entered silently. "Hmph. So you seen how she is?" he said after a moment.

Neji stood facing the window, gazing out over the vast districts of Tokyo. "Hn."

"What did she say?...or do?"

"I don't believe it's your business."

"Maybe not, but it won't change the fact that I'm still gonna ask."

Neji's eyes narrowed coldly. "Leave."

Sasuke shrugged and headed out the door. "Fine. I think I'm gonna have a go at that Chinese myself anyways..."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This couldn't be happening...TenTen sighed heavily, slumping her shoulders. Not _another_ interrogation...

Sasuke studied her carefully for a moment, then untied one of her hands. Once it was free, he slammed it onto the steel table – making sure to cause her pain. TenTen's eyes widened in fear. What exactly was he going to do? "Tell me if this hurts..." The raven-haired man suddenly whipped out a knife and slowly ran the razor-sharp blade across her knuckles, slicing through tendons and bone.

The pain was almost blinding. The girl threw her head back and screamed in agony, letting the whole house know what the Uchiha was doing to her right now. He smiled and removed the knife, gently wiping away some sweat from her brow. "So, tell me what I'd like to know."

TenTen tried to steady her shaking, mutilated hand. "G-Go to Hell..." she whispered hoarsely.

The raven-haired man smirked. "I don't think that's the answer I was looking for. Oops..." He jabbed the knife in between her knuckles, earning himself another tortured cry. "I slipped...Sorry."

"Bastard!" she panted, sepia orbs burning with cold fury. "I'm going to kill you..."

"Ah-ah-ah!" Sasuke gently slid the knife across her cheek, caressing her skin with the cold blade. "Remember who's doing the threatening, woman." He let the blade rest just below her left eye and tapped it a few times. "Tell me what I want to know."

"I don't know what you want—" _SLAP!_

"Tell me what I want to know."

"I said I don't—" _SLAP!_

The girl spit her blood onto the floor this time, wondering if she was going to die before her vengeance had been achieved. Again Sasuke repeated his demand, again she gave him the same answer, again he raised his hand to hit her...but it never came. TenTen opened her eyes slowly (she'd winced, bracing for the blow) to find a certain Hyuuga standing before her with the Uchiha's wrist in a death grip. Needless to say, she was rather confused.

"Touch her again, and I will kill you."

"Hmph. Right...why are you so touchy about her anyways, Hyuuga?" sneered the obsidian-eyed man. "Got a crush on her?"

The Hyuuga leered dangerously at him. "I will not have my guest be treated so roughly..." He noticed TenTen's mangled hand, and turned to Sasuke. "_You_..."

"What? 'You' what?" challenged the younger of the two. "I almost got her to talk, which is much more than you could say for yourself."

Neji tightened his grip, causing something to pop in Sasuke's wrist. TenTen felt a sick kind of satisfaction, but hey. It _was_ justified, right? The raven-haired man winced. "Bastard..." he spat.

The other finally let go, and turned his attention to the shivering, bleeding girl before him. "Forgive me for not arriving earlier. I came as soon as I heard your scream, but apparently, it was not soon enough." The Hyuuga gently examined her hand, making sure to be extra careful.

TenTen couldn't believe this. "What are you trying to pull?" she hissed venomously, jerking her hand away from his. "I'm not in any mood to play more of your mind-games, Hyuuga."

"I'm not interrogating you anymore. I'm _trying_ to fix your wound, but if you'd like infection to set in, go ahead and keep up your childish ways," he told her coolly.

The Harbinger was still skeptical, but let him take her injured member again. "Go get Sakura," Neji instructed Sasuke.

"...Fine." He obeyed, leaving the two alone together for the moment.

"Why are you being so nice to me...after I said that to you?" she asked tentatively, averting her eyes as she did so.

The Hyuuga continued to examine her hand gently. "Because I'm not as cold-hearted as one might think, and an injury of this degree simply can not go untended. Would you prefer I treat you the same as Uchiha did?"

TenTen shook her head. It felt nice having someone look after her like this...she hadn't had anyone treat her so nicely since, well, Bohai had died. Her sisters had shown her respect, but this was different. "No...but, thank you."

"Hn."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was simply amazing how far a dose of morphine could go. TenTen nearly laughed aloud at an unknown idea, but managed to choke it back as Sakura finished bandaging her hand. "Thank you!" she said cheerily, flopping onto the old mattress she'd been given to sleep on. Apparently, the Yakuza still wanted to know why she was here. Relentless. Simply relentless.

The Harbinger grinned up at the ceiling, feeling her head swim as she stared at the dim lights. Neji had taken up a seat against the opposite wall, quietly observing the entire process. TenTen began to think he'd given her a little extra morphine, just to loosen her up.

As Sakura left, the bun-haired girl carefully reached up and felt her bruised face. There was a scratch where Sasuke had run the knife against her cheek – the bastard. What nerve. Neji raised an eyebrow, but remained otherwise expressionless.

"Are you going to question me more?" she asked quietly, finding the silence stifling.

"Hn..." was all he said in response.

"Why do you always answer like that? Can't you ever say 'yes' or 'no' or even 'maybe'?"

"Perhaps."

"Ugh, forget it..." she sighed. "So..." TenTen glanced over at her apparent warden. "Are you going to keep questioning me, or shall we talk about other things?"

"For now...you may talk about anything you wish." His pearly orbs shifted to meet hers as he spoke. He sat in a chair with his back to the wall and was leaning forward with elbows on knees. The way his dark tresses fell into those eyes was beautiful – she could hardly look away. Wait. No! The Harbinger mentally slapped herself. This man was the enemy!

"...Do you love her?"

Neji's face remained expressionless, cold, unmoving. "No."

The prisoner returned to studying the ceiling. "Then why are you marrying her?"

"I don't believe my personal life is your business, girl."

TenTen smirked. "You said I could talk about whatever I felt like. And besides that, if you want _me_ to cooperate, you've got to return the favor." She threw him a mischievous leer.

The Hyuuga's eyes narrowed slightly. "It was arranged."

"Why?"

It was Neji's turn to smirk now. This girl really found his affairs interesting, didn't she? "She is the daughter of our _Kumicho_, Hyuuga Hiashi. Apparently, the elders think I've shown a great deal of promise, so to put me in line for the inheritance of the entire family, they've decided to wed us."

The Harbinger gently touched her bandaged hand, experimenting with how much movement it could take before the pain ripped through her arm. "Do you _want_ to be the family head?" she questioned further.

Neji bowed his head a little, staring blankly at the tiled floor beneath his feet. "...Hn."

"Cooperation!" sang the girl on the bed.

"...no. Not if this is the way to achieve that." He lifted his head up once more, then stood to walk over to her. As he neared her mattress, TenTen sat up to face him – curious as to what he was doing. "Now it is your turn," he announced, standing just before her. "Why are you here?"

The girl sighed. "...it's a job."

"What kind of job?"

"A _job_. You know perfectly well which kind," she huffed, glaring at him.

"Then who is your target?"

"That, my dear Yakuza, I can not tell you. You know how these things work. If I tell, then the entire thing could go down the drain. My reputation would be dragged through mud, we'd be left with no pay, and my 'mark' might get angry...might decide to hunt us all down."

Neji put his hands in his pockets, taking a few steps to the left. "Tell me how many are in your triad."

"Twenty-seven, including neither me nor my body-guards."

He looked skeptical.

"Yes, it's small, I know. But we've earned ourselves quite a reputation back home." She looked a little proud, like a mother watching her child at a school play.

A sudden idea hit Neji dead in the forehead. "How was it formed? Your triad. How did it begin?"

TenTen fiddled with a loose thread on her dress' hem. What a question. This was starting to dig up memories she would have rather left buried. "Um..." she began slowly. "I was an orphan for as long as I remember...my parents probably didn't want a girl – you've heard how it is back home. It's so crowded, and everyone wants a son to carry on their name..." The Harbinger paused for a moment. "I lived in the foreigner's 'charity' orphanage for a few years, but it wasn't a life. I ran away and decided to live on my own in the streets. Bohai found me...he took me in. He loved me. He cared for me...he was the only family I ever really had..."

Neji looked away. She didn't look like she was lying...her life really was tragic, wasn't it?

"Bohai was the leader of a triad. He showed me how to be strong – to fight for what I wanted in life. I...thought I'd be happy. I thought I'd found somewhere to belong for the rest of my life."

"You 'thought'?" inquired the Hyuuga.

"When I was ten, there was this deal...it wasn't anything extremely big...it shouldn't have been, but it turned bad and everyone..." TenTen's eyes narrowed painfully. She couldn't bring herself to say the word.

"What happened then?"

"I was alone again, but I wanted revenge. So, I returned to the orphanage to get schooling, food, clothes...I needed to survive if I wanted to avenge Bohai. I started gathering girls to join me. The first was Xiaoli...she was lived with me at the orphanage. When I was sent to prison—"

"Tell me about that."

TenTen gave him an aggravated stare. "Fine. I...snapped. I got sick of that stupid witch of a headmistress...so I..."

Neji raised an expectant eyebrow.

"...I beat her bloody. I made sure everyone knew who the 'Mistress' really was." She seemed somewhat remorseful, yet the hint of a rekindled anger lingered on her expression. "So, needless to say, I was kicked out and sent to the 'juvenile corrections center'. I stayed there for almost a year...had my sixteenth birthday there, gathered some followers...when I got out, I recruited a few more girls to join my little gang. A lot of them were from the women's rehabilitations center...it's where a lot of prostitutes are sent," she explained upon seeing the questioning look in his eye. "I heard about how they'd been treated, so I refused to recruit men into my triad. The only exception was a friend I'd made a while back – Rock Lee and his mentor, Maito Gai. I knew they would be trustworthy...even if they are complete morons..." She trailed off quietly, making Neji think that this was the end of her story.

The two waited in silence for several moments - each mulling over what had just passed between them. The girl finally spoke, breaking the quiet. "Do you have anyone? Close family...a girl you love? Someone you'd rather be with than...her? You've never seemed like a happy person to me."

Neji eyed her carefully. "Why does it matter if I appear happy or not?"

TenTen studied the bandaging on her hand. "I'm curious, because I wonder about it everyday. I wonder what it would be like to be without pain. Don't you wish you could ever switch places with someone, or undo what you've already done?"

He turned away, eyes cold as ice. "Destiny has already dealt us our fate. It is our burden to bear until we die."

"Destiny?" She peered at him, pity lacing her features. "Destiny is for those too weak to build their own paths."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**I'm so grateful!**

– Matahari – Some Random Person – Pawz4thought – ana –

**Anyways, I'm glad you're enjoying this. It's probably the most complicated plot I've thought of yet, so...hope it goes smoothly. xP **

**- Hikari**


	6. The Closer We Get

**Chapter 5****: The Closer We Get...**

"Mistress has been gone far too long."

Xiaoli nodded silently and took this as a cue to holster her gun. Lee slid a pair of brass knuckles onto his hand, while Gai inserted a concealed blade into the toes of either of his shoes. "I think we should go find her."

Yingtai carefully placed TenTen's mass of weaponry into a large duffel bag before arming herself.

"Why does Mistress have to have so many guns?!" griped Xiaoli.

Yingtai threw her a nasty glare. "Because," she stated severely. "She's the 'Harbinger'. _That's_ why."

"Pfft...Harbinger of what?" muttered the former.

The elder of the girls narrowed her eyes. "Are you challenging Mistress? Do you dare show our leader disrespect, even in her absence?" Yingtai stepped forward until she was nearly nose-to-nose with her sister. "You are truly stupid if you can not see why she is called 'Harbinger'," she whispered threateningly before stepping away.

Xiaoli mumbled something inaudible as she watched the other load up everything TenTen might need. It was obvious the girl wasn't pleased.

"Let's go!" ordered Yingtai, shouldering the duffel bag. Lee and Gai headed out obediently, Xiaoli took her time.

"We'll see who the stupid one in the end is..." she murmured dangerously to their backs.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

How much time had really passed? TenTen began counting back. It had to have been at least two days now, right?

The girl sighed and flopped back onto her mattress. The room was so dim...it hurt her eyes every time someone (namely a certain Hyuuga) opened the heavy steel door and came in to question or "observe" her. Frankly, she had no idea what the hell he came in to observe – it wasn't like she was going to undergo a dramatic change or anything. Maybe he expected her to have a mental breakdown at one point, but who knew?

Her thoughts drifted. A hot shower would sure be nice...and a change of clothes too. TenTen had always hated feeling filthy, maybe because she'd spent so much of her childhood in such a state. However, there was nothing to be done about it right now.

Ah, speak of the Devil – a loud _CLICK_ at the door told her that someone was about to enter. The Harbinger shut her eyes, bracing for the flood of light that would pour in at any moment.

The door creaked open a little. "May I come in?" a familiar voice requested. Though, TenTen had no idea why he even bothered asking since he came in without waiting for a reply.

"Eh, I don't know..." she replied lazily, not bothering to open her eyes yet. "Are you going to let me free yet?"

"Hn." He put his hands in his pockets and leisurely walked over to her bedside.

The Harbinger cracked one eyelid, revealing her coppery iris beneath. "Why are you even keeping me here? I thought I told you what you wanted already."

Neji's face remained unmoving. "There are more questions to be asked."

"Eiyah!" she exclaimed in exasperation. The man raised an eyebrow. "What else could you _possibly_ care about?!"

"After."

"...what?" The girl opened both eyes. "'After' what?"

"After you've been hygienically cleansed." Neji eyed her carefully. "Your perfume can not mask the odor forever."

What the hell? TenTen felt the blood rising to her cheeks. How embarrassing! "It's not exactly a hotel room here, you _do_ realize?" she retorted. "I barely have enough water to wash my hands, let alone the rest of me!" She nimbly sprang to her feet and pointed a finger directly at the man, the tip of his nose mere millimeters away from her extended member. "_You_ only look nice because you bathe everyday! If you were locked up like an inmate for several days, I bet you'd be in a sorry state too."

Neji glared at the finger in his face, not sure what to make of this sudden outburst. "Hn...Well, I intend to fix that."

The girl let her good hand drop. She looked rather unconvinced. "How?" came the demand.

He sighed. "I am not going to restrain you...however," Neji's eyes hardened, "If you attempt to escape, I will do whatever is necessary to prevent that."

That was slightly...worrisome. "'Whatever is necessary'?" she repeated ruefully. "So...you'll kill me?"

"No. I never said that."

"Alright, fine. I don't want to know. Just tell me how you plan to 'fix' me."

Neji smirked and motioned for her to follow, which she did. They walked in silence for a few moments – Neji wordlessly leading, TenTen obediently following and gaping at the vast expanses of the lavish halls and corridors. Why, this wasn't a dank, prison-type complex at all! Rather, it was the mansion of an extremely wealthy family. It was just _her_ room that was disgusting, that was it.

"Is this your house?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Have you lived here all your life?"

"Yes."

"...do you plan on living here for the rest of your life?"

"Why does it matter?" He stopped and eyed her sidelong.

"I want to know."

"I don't know where else I would live."

"There are lots of places. You just don't know how to use your imagination," she shrugged.

His exotic orbs narrowed slightly at the indirect insult, but he said nothing. However, TenTen had to hurry a bit to keep up with his increased pace. After a few moments, they arrived at a pair of large rice-paper doors with a hand-painted depiction of Mt. Fuji. "Pretty," she observed.

"I'll be back for you in an hour." Neji promptly turned to go.

"Wait!" she cried. "Where are you going?! You can't just leave me in the middle of nowhere!"

"You are standing directly in front of the bathhouse. I thought it was obvious..." he replied, pausing as he did so. "I'll assume you know how to bathe?"

Her sepia orbs flashed indignantly. "No, I'm a complete animal."

"I'll see you in an hour then," Neji said, ignoring her sarcasm.

"Bastard..." she muttered, pushing open the doors half-heartedly. Yet, as she laid eyes on the enormous bathroom, an incredulous "Eiyah?!" escaped her lips. "It's not a bathroom. It's a friggin _pool_ house!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"You've got to be kidding..." Shikamaru raised one lazy eyebrow.

"Hn."

"You _actually_ left her _alone_ in the bathroom? You trust her that much?" Sakura tapped one foot in a reprimanding fashion.

"Hn."

"Neji-sempai! C'mon, man! She's gonna run – I'll bet a thousand on it." Naruto laid the promised yen on the table his feet were resting on.

Neji merely closed his eyes in irritated silence.

Sasuke smirked wickedly, earning himself a terrible glare from the Hyuuga. Ino huffed. "Puh-lease, Naruto-kun. No one is gonna take you up on something so stupid."

Naruto muttered something under his breath, sparking a fiery shouting match between himself and the other blonde. The other four shook their heads in weary tolerance.

"She will not run," announced Neji after a moment.

Shikamaru looked skeptical. "And how do you figure that?"

The pearlescent orbs shifted to meet his brown. "Because," replied Neji. "She is still curious. She will not run yet, not until she finds what she desires."

"Pfft...whatever. How bothersome..."

"Perhaps you should go check in on the Chinese bitch, Dumbass," goaded Sasuke, knowing how the blonde's mind worked.

Naruto grinned lecherously. "Heh, well..."

"No."

"Awww...Neji-sempai—"

"NO." Naruto backed down immediately when he caught the murderous glint in those pearly eyes. Sasuke smirked again.

"Looks like Hyuuga's already staked out his territory."

Neji's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me well enough. Though, I had no idea you were so dishonorable – cheating on your fiancé with that foreign whore..."

His air supply was suddenly cut short as Neji's hand shot out and latched onto his windpipe. "Just because your entire clan was wiped out does not mean you get to slander mine. Maybe if you were a strong enough man, you could join your brother's family. However, at this point, you are definitely too weak to leave us for the Akatsuki," pronounced the Hyuuga in a cold, aloof voice. "And for the record, the Chinese girl is more honorable than you could ever hope to be, Uchiha."

He released the obsidian-eyed man from his hold and marched off to the bathroom. "Ooh...you've really made him angry this time, Sasuke-kun..." whispered Sakura nervously.

He rubbed his throat in anger. "Whatever..."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Mmmm...bubbles. TenTen felt slightly childish, but hey – she hadn't had a bath like this for...well, she couldn't ever remember having one actually. The girl pushed the bubbles around with her injured hand, relishing in the steamy warmth of the bathwater. "This feels so good..." she sighed contentedly, dipping her head back so her sepia tresses could soak up the comforting scent.

TenTen had scrubbed herself spotless as soon as she'd hit the water, but now it was time to relax a bit. He had said an hour, right? And how long had it been? Ah, no matter. She'd just enjoy herself until he came.

"Are you done, yet?"

...and apparently that time was now. "Yes...let me get dressed and I'll be right out."

"I'll wait."

The Harbinger eased herself up and out of the gigantic basin, quickly drying off with plush towels, and begrudgingly re-dressing herself in that same dress she'd been wearing for several days now. TenTen left the trench coat off – it was simply too warm – and kept her hair wrapped up in one of the towels. "You can come in now," she announced loudly to the man outside.

Neji immediately opened the door and stepped into the humid room. He eyed the towel on her head suspiciously. Was it so unusual for someone to wrap their hair up in a towel? "Clothes."

The girl stared at him. "What?"

"You need new clothes..."

"That is true, however," she put both hands on her hips. "I forgot to pack a new pair before coming to visit. Sorry."

The pearly eyes closed for a moment as Neji tried to deal with her unending sarcasm. "You may borrow a robe until those are washed. You still need to comb your hair, brush your teeth, clean your—"

"Alright, alright! Just give me what I need, and I'll do it!" she cried exasperatedly. "Just stop telling me how filthy I still am!"

"Fine. Bathrobes are hanging in the closet to my left. There you shall also find spare toothbrushes, combs, etc. Feel free to use whatever you'd like out of there," he instructed monotonously. "Leave your soiled clothing in a pile just outside the door, and a maid will come by to take it."

"And will I get them back?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"As soon as they've been properly cleaned. Any other questions?"

"When can I leave?"

His eyes hardened in response to her question. "You can not leave until I finish questioning you." And with that, he turned and headed out the doors, leaving her alone once again.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"_Haam ga chan_ (death to your family)!!"

A teary-eyed girl scurried down the hall, adjusting her apron nervously. Neji could only stare at the bathroom entrance – a certain Chinese fuming in the doorway. What the hell? He'd only left her for a half hour and this is what happened?

"And _you_..." She turned her fiery copper orbs upon him now. "_You're_ the whole reason this happened!"

"Tell me exactly what I'm at fault for," he replied coolly, folding his arms across his chest.

"THIS!!" TenTen shrieked, pointing at her dress. "Are you as blind as you look?! Look at what color it is!"

"...pink?" he suggested.

The Harbinger's eyes narrowed. "Yes..." she hissed. "Pink."

Neji raised an eyebrow questioningly – he had no idea what the exact problem was as of yet. "And...?"

She stared at him incredulously. "Pink!" she repeated. Upon seeing that he was still clueless, she rolled her eyes and gave an irritated, "Ugh, forget it."

The Hyuuga looked slightly annoyed. "Hn," was all he said. The man turned to go, but hesitated for a moment. "Are you hungry?"

TenTen froze – an arm in midair as she had been reaching up to adjust one of her buns. "Am I..._hungry_?"

He gave a curt nod.

"I ate breakfast already...a maid brought me rice again."

"That was earlier. Are you hungry again, or do you only eat once a day?"

The girl shot him a glare. "Yes, I'm hungry again, but I can wait until my next 'feeding'."

"Would you rather eat something else?"

"Like what? A different brand of rice?"

Neji frowned. Her sardonic retorts were so aggravating at times. "No," he said slowly, shoving the irritation to the back of his mind. "Rice can only provide so much nourishment. Would you like to try a different variety of foods perhaps?"

TenTen wasn't sure what he was trying to pull here. "Um, sure. That sounds good..."

"Follow me."

"Like I'd go wandering off on my own..."

"Just follow me, please."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Several helpings later, TenTen sat at the table – bloated and slightly nauseous. "What happened?" she moaned. "Why did I eat so much?! This is _your_ fault, Hyuuga!" she accused sullenly. "You and your damn offers..."

"I'm sorry for feeding you."

"Oh, shut up." The girl slowly stood and stretched leisurely. "So, now can we get to finishing up this little 'interrogation'? I'm really ready to leave."

Neji shook his head slightly in disbelief, a smirk playing on his handsome features. "Are you so eager to go?"

Was that a real question? "Uh, yeah..." she replied hesitantly. "Why would anyone want to remain a prisoner?"

"Do you really feel like one?"

Well...TenTen had to think on this question. Technically, this was _way_ better than she'd been treated back in China – minus the demonic Uchiha and his crazy knife tricks. "No..." she finally said.

"Then why do you wish to leave?"

"I never really wanted to be your guest in the first place. If you don't remember, I believe one of your lackeys knocked me out and dragged me here."

"But is it really so bad?"

This was getting a little weird. "Why? Do you _want_ me to stay?" she demanded.

"You'd make a capable partner."

Whoa. The Harbinger reeled at the sudden proposition – where the hell did that come from? "'P-Partner'...?" she repeated weakly, feeling her legs go numb. "What the hell?"

Neji continued to gaze at her coldly, those pearlescent orbs never wavering from hers. "Would you be interested?"

"Hell no!" she shouted, flinging her arm across the air as if dashing something to the ground. "You arrogant bastard! Why the hell would I do something as stupid as that?"

The Hyuuga shrugged. "It's rare that a woman can actually hold her own against the Yakuza, and still keep her honor. Besides, you seem strong enough, and I've been looking for a decent training companion."

"A _training_ companion?" You could hear the bitterness in her voice. "I've seen other girls around here – that loud blonde or that pink-haired one. Get them to help you."

"Hn. They are nothing but nuisances who only care about outward appearances and bickering amongst themselves."

"What about your other 'brothers'?"

"If we attempted to train together, someone would most likely be killed."

TenTen seemed doubtful. "You really hate each other that much?"

"Yes. Some more so than others..."

"I see..." The girl smirked slightly. "You speak of honor. Tell me, Hyuuga – how would it be honorable to leave my triad to join yours?"

Neji remained quiet for a moment. She was right. It almost seemed hypocritical to ask her this, but still...The girl had potential. To let something this valuable walk out the front door would be stupid. And, well...despite the constant sarcasm and biting remarks, she was the only one he'd had an actual conversation with in a long time.

TenTen decided to break the silence. "Finish your questioning, then let me go. I want nothing more to do with you or your family."

The man gave a distant "Hn" before rising from his seat. The Chinese noted that he seemed rather distracted. Perhaps...was he bothered by her refusal?

"Tell me," he began, "how you learned Japanese."

TenTen sighed and sat at the table again. "My brother taught me when I was very young."

"The one from your first family?"

"Yes, him."

"How did he know Japanese?"

The girl narrowed her eyes. "I don't know! I was little – I didn't go around asking things like this! What about you? Did your mother teach you Chinese? Or maybe your father? Hell, let me meet them! I'll ask myself!"

Neji coldness increased by ten degrees. "They are both gone."

"What? They get sick of your attitude and leave?"

"They are dead."

Oh. Crap...TenTen froze. "I-I'm sorry...I didn't realize—"

"It is inconsequential," he interrupted. "It has been a long time, and the pain has left me."

"But...not really, right?"

He glanced at her. "What?"

"It's not really gone, is it?" The Harbinger carefully rubbed the three dots between her fingers. "No matter how much you say 'I need nothing', 'I'm okay', or 'It doesn't hurt anymore', you're only lying to yourself. Believe me. I know how it is..."

Neji remained silent, but let his eyes linger on her. What she was saying...it had truth to it. He hadn't ever truly forgotten, but to admit this would be weak.

"If you let the pain remain, you're honoring their memory more so than if you forget."

"So all you intend to do is keep on hurting? That does no good for anyone," he scoffed.

TenTen smiled, though the ghost of a wretched grief flickered across the grin. "No..." she told him. "I intend to reclaim, drop for drop, every bit of blood that was spilt."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**I'm so grateful!!!**

– Moruni Takinara – Matahari – loves-emo-guys-with-hair – anon. –

**H'okay! I'm sorry it's taking a few days for me to update. School's been kicking my butt, and besides that, I'm having trouble figuring out what to say! I mean, I've already got the general plot down, but what's killing me is filling in the little "empty spaces"! It's going to pick up soon, I swear. In fact, I already know what else I want to write. I would have put it in this chapter, but that would make it **_**huuuuge**_**. Your poor eyes. I don't want you to strain them! **

**Anyways, constructive criticism is luffed, so go ahead and feel free to let me have it (but still be nice...). **

**- Hikari**


	7. Wounds of a Deeper Kind

**Chapter 6****: Wounds of a Deeper Kind**

The demand was quick and sudden. "Tell me before I kill you," was what she'd said. Lee stood with his arms folded across his chest, whist Gai stared sullenly at their captive. Yingtai huffed impatiently at Xiaoli's interrogation methods.

"I told you, I don't know."

"Then I suppose you've got no use anymore." The girl jammed the muzzle of her gun into his mouth and pulled the trigger in a movement so swift, he had no time to react. The blast was muffled by a silencer, so his end came quietly…in a sense. Xiaoli turned to their remaining prisoner. "So, are you going to tell me, or shall we get this over with now?" The girl smirked and stepped towards the shocked man, gun pointed right at his forehead.

"N-No wait!" he stammered. "I'll tell you!"

"There's a good Yakuza…" cooed Yingtai from his left.

"I heard that they took her back to the main house. I don't know for sure though, because if they did, they're keeping her under lock and key."

"Where's the main house?"

The man looked reluctant, but knew it would be his end should he not divulge the desired information. "It's in the Machida district – Western Tokyo. Find the biggest, fanciest house there and you've found the Hyuuga mansion."

"Anything else you'd like to tell us?"

"That's all I know. I've only been there a few times to pick up packages…"

"Thanks. That'll be all." Xiaoli pulled the trigger, going against all promises made to let him free.

Yingtai stared in horror as the man keeled over forevermore. "Xiaoli!" she cried angrily. "Mistress will hear about this as soon as we find her!"

"Are you going to tell on me? I'm so scared…"

"I see her absence has made you brave. Will you remain so once she returns?"

"_If_ she returns," corrected the younger.

"She _will_ return, because we will retrieve her. Now, let's go. Mistress is waiting for us..."

Lee looked distraught. "Perhaps...do you think we will be too late? Seven days is a long time..."

Yingtai readjusted the duffel bag on her shoulder. "I don't know, Lee," she told him tiredly. "The only way to find out is to go there and see for ourselves whether or not it's too late. Though..." The girl shifted her dark eyes to Gai. "Gai, what day is it?"

"Why, I believe it's the fourth."

Xiaoli narrowed her eyes. "The plan...it's set for less than a week from today, is it not?"

"Correct!" shouted Gai enthusiastically.

"I think we need to hurry then, before it's too late. Mistress would have no will to live should we fail at this."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This was Hell. It had to be Hell – where else would she be?

TenTen shifted her sepia orbs from face to face, gauging their levels of scrutiny. The two femme fatales seemed to the most hostile. The blonde kept giving her those creepy "bedroom eyes", while pony tail looked completely bored with this whole thing. Oh, and don't even get started on the Uchiha – he was a whole other story. TenTen couldn't tell if the look in his eyes was mischievous or murderous...and neither option was very comforting.

"So?"

"Listen, Hyuuga. I don't know what you want us to tell you," shrugged Sasuke.

"I'll tell ya' what!" butted in Ino. "I definitely don't think she's worth keeping around. Let's just throw her out now."

"I second that!" said Sakura.

"Awww...you girls are no fun! I think there's _plenty_ of stuff she can do around here!"

"Naruto-kun, you sick bastard! She's not your sex-toy!"

TenTen grimaced openly at this, feeling slightly nauseous at the thought. She heard him whine and gripe, but Sakura remained firm. Neji looked quite annoyed. "Agreed. If you dare lay a finger on my guest, I will make sure to cut it off."

The blonde shut up after that.

Sasuke gave an amused chuckle, earning himself a glare from the Hyuuga. Neji didn't think it was very funny at all, actually. "Is she or is she not?"

"Fine, yes. Keep her. She might be 'converted' dare I say." The Uchiha then proceeded to mutter something else under his breath, but TenTen couldn't make out what exactly it was.

"Well, thank you all for being so generous," she blurted out, disdain evident in her voice. "I'm personally so grateful for your kindness – allowing me to remain prisoner here, I mean. It's what I've wanted for so long."

"Alright, enough. We're going back." Neji took her by the forearm (on her injured side) and firmly, yet gently, pulled her to her feet. TenTen rolled her chocolaty eyes, but followed without resistance. She'd come to accept that fighting against them right now was completely pointless.

As they made their way down the halls, the Harbinger decided to break the silence. "Why did you do that?"

"I wanted to see what they thought."

"About if I have any use here or not?"

"Precisely."

"So...apparently, I still do?"

"Correct."

"How so?"

"..." He opened his mouth to say something, but apparently decided to change his mind. TenTen waited for him to actually speak, but it turned out to be in vain.

"Never mind..." she sighed dejectedly. "So, I guess I get the rest of the day to myself. How exciting."

"Hn," was all he said, pushing open her door.

TenTen entered and bowed slightly. "Why, thank you! How polite of you to open my cell door for me – and here I thought chivalry was dead."

Neji rolled his eyes (a rare show of emotion) and mumbled out a begrudging, "You are welcome." The door creaked, snapped shut, and left TenTen isolated once again.

The girl began to pace back and forth across the small room, calculating how many strides it took to go a mile in here. Yes. She was, in fact, _that_ bored. The Harbinger was at stride number 1,457.5 when a loud _CLICK_ announced that Neji had returned. She didn't bother turning to face him, but only stopped and folded her arms across her chest. "Now what?!" she demanded irritably. "You're interrupting m—"

A sudden pain on her arm caused her to stop, but before she could protest, the girl had been shoved up against the wall – a pair of lips smashed messily upon hers. Her sepia orbs widened fearfully. Why would he...?

She could feel Sasuke's hands greedily trailing over her body. The girl felt like vomiting. TenTen decided she'd had enough, and though he had captured one of her hands, both legs remained free. Using his "enthusiasm" against him, TenTen gave him a nasty bite on the lip, while at the same time bringing her knee up as hard and fast as possible. She swore she could feel something break.

Sasuke gasped but refused to move away from her. His head bowed to rest on her shoulder, his other hand quickly snatching a switchblade from his pocket. He pressed the knife against her side before whispering "I'm not done playing with you yet..." in her ear. The girl felt chills run through her body.

"W-Why?" she choked helplessly, feeling a sharp prick as he pressed the blade closer. "Why would you do this?"

Sasuke smirked. "Because, I can't let Hyuuga win _all_ the time..."

TenTen tried to pull away as he ran his mouth over the bottom of her jaw, gently laying little kisses along the soft skin. "What? What do you mean?"

"He's taken a sort of liking to you..." he said, slightly irritated at being interrupted a second time. "Now, no more questions." The Uchiha pressed his mouth to hers once more, refusing to let her speak again. The Harbinger felt so helpless...it was rare this happened.

"**UCHIHA**..." a voice hissed suddenly and furiously, seeming to come out of nowhere.

TenTen recognized it immediately. "Hyu—Ah!!" Sasuke jabbed her roughly.

"What do you want? I'm busy..." replied the raven-haired man.

"**Get your hands off of her. NOW.**" Neji's eyes were narrowed in murderous hatred. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"I told you she's a whore. I'm just here getting 'serviced'."

That did it. TenTen kneed him once again before giving him a ferocious head butt. "Bastard!" she shrieked. "You've got the nerve to nearly rape me here at knife-point and then call me a whore! I'll—" Suddenly, a terrible pain in her right side stopped her. The girl let out a strangled gasp, unsure of what had just happened.

The Uchiha smirked (painfully, because after all...getting kneed "there" does take its toll). "I don't believe we were talking to you..." He slid the knife in as far as it could go, allowing it to rest just between her ribs. "I'll leave you with that for now." The man turned to face Neji who was seething in cold fury.

"This is _unacceptable_!"

"And what do you intend to do about it?"

The two exchanged venomous replies for the next few moments, leaving TenTen to herself for the time being. The pain was excruciating – what was it with this crazy Uchiha?! She tentatively pulled the knife out and held it, her blood dripping off the glistening metal onto the floor. Was she just going to take this? Hell no!

Coppery orbs narrowed into mere slits, teeth clenched in detestation. The Harbinger didn't care what the consequences would be now. "Uchiha..."

"What?!" he snapped, turning his head to glace at her. And there it was. The blade collided into his right side, slicing through the rib bone.

TenTen yanked it back out and prepared to strike again, but something caught her hand – suspending it high above her head.

"Let go of me," she demanded coldly. "I'm going to give this bastard what he deserves..."

"That is not your job." Neji's voice was icy; she almost felt like he was blaming her for what had happened just now.

"I swear, Hyuuga. Let me go or I'll kill you too."

"Would you _really_?" He leaned in just a little farther. "Would you really _kill_ me?"

The Chinese leered dangerously at him. No. She would not. She wouldn't kill him, but somehow all she could blurt out was "Yes. I would."

Neji gave a "Hpmh," removed the knife from her hand, then let her go. "Uchiha is my brother, not yours. I shall do the pun—_OOMPH!!_" he grunted loudly, something colliding into his back. Sasuke had decided to give the pearly-eyed man a kick while he wasn't looking. He staggered forward into an unsuspecting TenTen, who accidentally received him with open arms. The sudden weight thrown against her body pushed her off balance – causing her totter back against the wall with a certain Hyuuga held tightly against herself.

"Ergh, Hyuuga!" she protested. "Get off...me..." The girl trailed off as he slowly looked up at her, pearlescent orbs gazing into hers - confusion and maybe even sadness lingering in their depths. TenTen couldn't tear her eyes away for some reason. It was so beautiful...his dark tresses falling into those wondrous eyes...those wretched eyes. "H-Hyuuga..." she whispered hoarsely. The Harbinger was pressed firmly against the wall, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, their faces mere centimeters apart. She could feel the warmth of his breath against her neck and collar bone, feel the warmth of his skin against her own. Why did this feel so good? She should be feeling defiled right now – here her enemy had captured her in a sudden embrace...but it was different from what Sasuke had just done to her. It was so much different...so much...better.

"Please...please, Hyuuga..." TenTen finally choked out.

He quickly pulled himself off her and stared hard at the floor. "Forgive me. I had no intention of—"

"_NO!!_"

Neji felt himself pushed aside once again – how bothersome. Twice in one day... The man recovered and turned to find out what had just happened. And that's when he saw it...

TenTen stood weakly, one hand over her left eye, blood gushing out from between her fingers. Her face was oddly pale, almost death-like. "B-Bastard..." she whispered weakly to the obsidian-eyed man standing before her. The knife was wet with fresh blood – he was clutching it like he'd just taken a swing at something...or someone. That's when Neji realized what had happened. While he was apologizing, he'd let his guard down. Sasuke must have seen this and decided to take him out...with his back turned. The coward. TenTen must have saved him, and now she'd paid the terrible fee for her sacrifice.

"You...why?"

The girl turned to him, her entire body trembling. The blood was running in little streams down her arm. He could make out the faint outline of a smile before Sasuke let out an aloof, "Pfft."

If Neji had been pissed before, it was nothing compared to now. "You low-life..." he muttered through clenched teeth.

Sasuke tossed the knife back and forth between his hands – the wound in his side didn't seem to be bothering him too much. "Come on, Hyuuga. I know you're dying to do it."

Neji accepted the invitation by lunging forward, hands balled into tight fists. He fully intended to kill the Uchiha right here and now. The two jabbed and lashed out at each other, neither one making much progress. Neji seemed to have the upper hand though. TenTen only hoped he'd fare better than she had so far.

Forgotten by the two warriors, the Harbinger noticed that Neji had left the door slightly ajar. No doubt he'd been shocked by the scene that greeted him. However, now was the time to take advantage of that. TenTen threw her rescuer a last glance before sneaking out. "Thank you, Hyuuga..."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The bedraggled little group stared at the massive structure stretched out leisurely before them. Lee was the first to speak. "This must be it..." he said weakly.

Gai nodded his agreement. Yingtai's eyes hardened. "Then let's go. Mistress is in there somewhere, waiting for us."

"You think we've got enough ammo? I mean...for crying out loud – look at this thing!"

"Xiaoli, do you have to be so loud?!"

"Oh, shut up. They probably think we're just a couple of..._MISTRESS_?!?" she shrieked suddenly. The group spun around to see what she was referring to. Sure enough, a bun-haired girl with a black trench coat was staggering feebly down the stone stairway, hurrying as fast as she could with such wounds. Blood was everywhere, re-staining her pink dress crimson. "Mistress!" repeated Xiaoli. "What happened to you?!"

"No...we...must leave...now..." she mumbled tiredly, hardly able to support herself. Gai quickly knelt down, and Lee hoisted his Mistress onto the older man's back.

"Double-time to the base!"

"No, Gai-sensei! Triple time!"

"No, Lee! _Quadruple_ time! Squad A – head out!!"

They all took off sprinting, trying to escape from the loud shouts that were quickly approaching from the mansion. Obviously, TenTen had drawn some attention to herself on the way out. No matter. She was safe now. She was with family...

But little did TenTen know how much pain they could actually bring her.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**I'm so grateful!!!**

- carrii-x3 – Moruni Takinara – Maiana -

**Anyways, yup. Who knew Sasuke was such a perv? xD And anyways :nudge, nudge: I'm going to give you all a little hint. There are going to be more characters coming in to visit us soon!! ;) **

**- Hikari**


	8. A Debtor’s Recompense

**Chapter 7****: A Debtor's Recompense**

"TenTen! TenTen!"

"Ngh..." The young woman struggled to open her eyes, but found that only one of them worked. "W-What is it, Lee? Where are we?" she moaned, deciding to remain in this position instead of getting up. The bed felt so nice...

"We are back in the motel, TenTen! Have no fear, for we ensured our safe getaway!"

Gai struck a sexy pose. "Indeed! Using my manly strength and godlike abilities, I was able to carry you back here on my muscular back!"

She grimaced slightly. "Thanks..."

"Mistress." A shrill voice beside her startled TenTen slightly.

"Yingtai?"

"Mistress, we were so worried about you! You'd lost so much blood...it was horrible!"

Yes, that was right. TenTen wished that her little sister hadn't brought that back up. So that's why her eye wasn't working, wasn't it? "Did you take me to the hospital?"

"No, the Yakuza are crawling all over this district right now. The hospitals are under especially strict guard. I guess they figured you'd show up at one, trying to get treatment."

"Well, you did the smart thing..." Another question kept pressing itself against the back of TenTen's mind – demanding to be asked. "...am I blind?"

Yingtai looked away, like she was embarrassed about something. Maybe it was shame? "Your left eye was nearly destroyed. I'm sorry, Mistress...please forgive me. I did the best that I could."

The Harbinger nodded absently – this almost seemed surreal. Her left eye was gone. In one terrible, fateful moment...it was gone. "And my side?"

"I stitched it up fine. The wound should heal cleanly in a few weeks."

"Thank you..." TenTen tentatively reached up and touched her face, almost afraid to find what lay just above her cheek bone. Maybe this was just a bad dream. She couldn't be blind on one side! How ludicrous would that be? Her fingers felt the soft eye patch. The girl was praying she'd wake up at any moment now.

"So what happened?"

The Harbinger glanced over to the corner of the room where the voice had sounded. "Xiaoli? How long have you been standing there?"

"How'd you get it?" prodded the girl, ignoring the inquiry.

TenTen didn't think that Xiaoli sounded extremely welcoming. "One of 'them' gave it to me."

"Just because? Or did you do something to make them angry?"

"I don't know! No..." she retorted, growing irritable. "He just lashed out at me, alright? Why does it matter?"

"I was curious."

"Well, I hope that your curiosity has been satisfied." The Mistress shifted her gaze back to the ceiling. No way in Hell would she tell them she'd done it to save the Hyuuga. That would just go against everything she'd ever told them...all those principles she'd laid out.

"Come on, let's let Mistress rest for a bit." Yingtai rose from TenTen's side and beckoned for the others to follow her out the door.

Lee and Gai nodded, tip-toeing out of the room, but Xiaoli refused to budge. "I think there's more to it than you're telling us, Mistress," she accused, arms folded across her chest. "What aren't you willing to tell us?"

"Xiaoli!" barked the elder sister. "Cut it out, now! Mistress can talk later, but for now we must let her be!"

"Fine..." the younger replied sullenly. "Don't forget, Mistress. I'm still gonna want to know."

TenTen narrowed her good eye. "My, my. You've certainly gotten cheeky. What the hell makes you think I'm going to tell you?"

Xiaoli smirked. "Because...if you don't, then we'll assume you've got something to hide. You don't do you, Mistress?"

"If I do, it's none of your business."

"A good Mistress wouldn't hide things from her sisters."

"A good sister wouldn't question her Mistress."

Xiaoli looked annoyed. "Then I guess we're both at fault, right?"

The Harbinger slowly sat up, her head swimming in circles. "_Chòu sānbā_ (bitch), what the hell is your problem?" she muttered dangerously, holding her left eye in an effort to quell the throbbing ache. "If you've got something to say, say it. Don't play these games with me."

"You've gone and done something, haven't you?! I bet it was that Hyuuga you met at the theatre – I saw the expression on your face. Don't deny it!"

"Perhaps so, but what does it matter?"

"If the plan is ruined because of your stupidity and rash behavior then—"

"You _dare_ speak to me in such a way?! I am the Mistress of _Tiě Lián_, and you are _nothing_ in comparison!! I saved you from that hell-hole of a life, and this is how you show your thanks?!!"

Xiaoli balled her fists. "I'm nothing? You say I'm _nothing_?!" she shrieked. "I'll bet I'm more of a Mistress than you could ever be!"

"Would you like to put that to test?" asked TenTen, standing at last. This girl was out of her place and it was high time that someone put her back in it. The Harbinger intended to fill the position of "someone".

The challenger took up a fighting stance. "If I beat you, you resign your position to me."

"Xiaoli, you insolent moron!" shouted Yingtai, who'd been standing nervously with Gai and Lee. "You can't win!"

"Yingtai..." said TenTen in a voice that sounded like the calm before a storm. "It's fine. Let her find out on her own. Though she's a coward to challenge an invalid, I believe she'll learn her lesson in the end."

"Whatever. I'm going to make you regret those words." Xiaoli lunged at TenTen, aiming for her stomach.

The Harbinger's good eye widened as she tried to sidestep – this was going to be different indeed. Her balance and sense of direction were slightly compromised. A sudden, horrible thought slammed itself into her brain._ "Can I still hit a mark?"_ she mused, watching as Xiaoli flew past her.

Many disheartening emotions and thoughts began to build up to a breaking point at that instant. Why did things have to turn out this way? That Hyuuga (hell, she didn't really even know his name)...why did she have to save him? Why couldn't she tear herself out of his embrace? Why did he have to be one of _them_? And now when she needed comfort more than ever...her supposed family had turned against her. TenTen felt resentment and bitterness beginning to take a hold of her heart - passions that needed an outage. That outage lay in the form of a fourteen year old girl who'd picked a bad day to challenge the Mistress.

In what seemed like only a blur, the eldest whipped her good hand around and slammed it into Xiaoli's face – nails and fingers extended into raking claws. The girl let out a cry of pain as the Harbinger dug into the soft flesh. Little trickles of blood ran down her face, five huge streaks marking where TenTen's claws had done their damage. Before she could recover, however, the Harbinger lashed out and kicked her little sister dead in the sternum. A loud _CRACK_ announced that something had been broken. Xiaoli began to gasp for breath, clutching at her chest in pain. Yet, there was no mercy for her today. TenTen eyes were as cold as Death itself.

"Mistress..." Yingtai murmured worriedly.

She was ignored. The Mistress marched forward, shoved Xiaoli roughly to the floor, and brutally stomped on her soft stomach with an unforgiving stiletto. The girl tried to scream, but the air had been viciously taken from her. TenTen knelt down, straddling her little sister, and leaned in to whisper something in Xiaoli's ear. "I'll teach you to forget who the Mistress is..."

Xiaoli's eyes widened fearfully. "No, wait!!"

But it was too late. The Harbinger rigidly sat up once more and began to beat the girl's face to a bloody pulp...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"_NO!!" _

_Neji felt himself pushed aside once again – how bothersome. Twice in one day... The man recovered and turned to find out what had just happened. And that's when he saw it..._

_TenTen stood weakly, one hand over her left eye, blood gushing out from between her fingers. Her face was oddly pale, almost death-like. "B-Bastard..." she whispered weakly to the obsidian-eyed man standing before her. The knife was wet with fresh blood – he was clutching it like he'd just taken a swing at something...or someone..._

"_You...why?"_

_The girl turned to him, her entire body trembling. The blood was running in little streams down her arm. He could make out the faint outline of a smile before Sasuke let out an aloof, "Pfft." _

Neji kept replaying the scene again and again in his mind. Why had she done that? What possessed her to do such a thing? And...why had she smiled?

Now she was gone...just like that. Gone. It'd taken him a full three minutes to realize that he and Sasuke were alone in the room. He'd sounded the alarm immediately, but it was in vain. She'd escaped.

The man sighed, pearly eyes tired and dull. "Why?" he muttered again. "Why did you do that? We didn't know each other at all...and yet..."

But that wasn't entirely true. They'd come to know each other quite well through those little interrogation sessions he'd forced on her. He'd told her things that he hadn't ever told anyone else, and Neji was sure that she'd returned the favor. It seemed so quiet around here now – he felt like something was missing now that her constant biting remarks ceased to fill the halls and detention room.

On top of that, it was even quieter since he and Sasuke hadn't spoken to each other since leaving that room. The Hyuuga was sure that he'd kill him in there, until he noted that TenTen had left. Murdering Uchiha had suddenly lost most of its importance at that point.

Neji rubbed his temples. Where had she gone?! They'd searched everywhere – all the hospitals were under strict guard...unless... The Hyuuga's eyes shot open in horror. So, she'd foregone proper medical treatment? That was sheer insanity! That eye she'd so quickly given up for his sake had no chance of ever recovering. Would she rather be blind than see him again? Wait, no. Neji had to correct himself here. It wasn't like he wanted to find her just so he could enjoy her company. No. There were still things he needed to know – mainly why she'd done that for him...and why he hadn't been able to move when he'd been accepted into her arms.

The Hyuuga stoically stared off into the wall. As Nara would say: this was so bothersome...

"Nii-san? "

His eyes narrowed but refused to move from their position. "What?" he replied impatiently.

The girl twiddled her thumbs in a nervous fashion. It was obvious she was afraid of this man. "U-Um...I just wanted to tell you someth—"

"Spit it out then."

"U-Um...well, Otoosan said that you...u-um..."

Neji closed his eyes in sheer annoyance. Why couldn't his cousin ever say what needed to be said instead of stammering and beating around the bush? "What did Hiashi-sama say?"

"He w-wants to talk to you...a-about that girl...the Chinese one..."

Great. The young Hyuuga knew that something was up as soon as "that girl" was mentioned. So Hiashi knew about her did he? Well, that was to be expected, but still...what could he possibly want to discuss?

"Tell him I'll be there in a moment."

The girl nodded and quickly retreated – relieved to finally escape from her fiancé's presence. Neji wondered how this marriage could even remotely hope to work. It was a nightmare already, not to mention his conscience had been severely tweaked when "that girl" had made those callous comments. They were true after all – it did seem rather sick and twisted once he thought about it.

The man sighed and rose from his seat. Time to go see what Hiashi wanted.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Mistress!! _Please_...stop it! You're going to _kill_ her!!" came the terrified plea. Yingtai's eyes were watery. No matter how much she hated this sister of hers, it was torture having to watch this.

Lee had tried to approach TenTen twice now, only to be lashed out at and have his entire lineage cursed for all eternity. Gai had told him to let it be for now or else another might be hurt. Now the three onlookers stood horrified and appalled – only once or twice in the entire time they'd been with her had they seen their Mistress in such a rage. It was the thing of nightmares.

The Harbinger finally ceased the punishment – her breath was rapid, her shoulders heaving up and down. Underneath her lay something that was hardly recognizable as human, though they all knew it to be Xiaoli. Blood oozed out of a multitude lacerations, trickling onto the dirty motel carpet. TenTen rose from her position and leered down at the girl. Her hands were bloody, though whether the crimson gore belonged to her or her sister was questionable. Her copper orbs shifted from the mutilated Xiaoli to her blood-stained fingers, then back once more. It was slowly dawning upon her...

"W-What...what have I done?" she whispered hoarsely. The _Tiě Lián's _Mistress turned to the other three, begging...pleading for an answer. "Why did I...?"

"Mistress?" Yingtai replied carefully, afraid that her beloved elder sister might turn on her too.

TenTen mournfully looked away. "I need...I need to go out for a bit..." she announced in desolation. "I need to think..." The Mistress hurriedly armed herself – no way in hell would she go out without protection this time – and exited.

A broken and barely conscious Xiaoli swore vengeance for this atrocity.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The air was tense – so tense, in fact, that one might find it stifling. The lack of windows and heavy cloud of pungent incense only added to the choking quality of this room. Neji hated it in here.

"So..." a deep voice began from within the depths of this prison. "Do you not have an answer for yourself?"

The young Hyuuga bowed his head slightly. "Forgive me, Hiashi-sama, but I have no idea what you mean."

The voice sighed tiredly. "You know very well what I mean. Uchiha tells me that you've grown fond of this girl; you've grown soft, weak, fragile because of her. Is this true?"

"Of course not. Uchiha is merely bitter and wishes to ruin my reputation in this household."

"Oh? Perhaps so, but that does not change the fact that I'm still concerned. Is this going to be a problem, Neji? Do you still wish to marry my daughter or not?"

Pearlescent eyes narrowed indignantly. "I don't see how that is relevant..."

"It's relevant in every sense of the word!" The voice grew loud and angry in an instant. "Perhaps giving you so much freedom was a mistake! I thought you wanted to become the _Kumicho_! I have graciously provided you with the means to do so, but perhaps you'd like to throw that all away for a fleeting desire – this girl you've known for only a short while. Are you willing to risk all honor for her sake?!"

Neji was trapped. There was no way out of this one... "No. Forgive me, Hiashi-sama. I would never dream of doing such a thing."

The voice returned to its indifferent state. "Good. I'll be keeping an eye on you, Neji, so don't disappoint me."

"I shall try my hardest."

"Find that girl if you wish, but I'd like to meet her if you do. Understand?"

"Yes, Hiashi-sama. I understand fully." The young Hyuuga cringed in the darkness. Why would Hiashi want to see her? What could he possibly be planning?

The voice cleared its throat. "Good. Now go – my curiosity has been sparked. I'll be expecting this girl by tonight."

What?! Neji's eyes shot open. "Of course..." he finally managed to spit out as he retreated. "I shall not disappoint you."

As he closed the door and proceeded down the lavish halls, the man cursed silently. Why? What was going on? Was Hiashi going to kill her? Neji paused. Why would it matter if she died or not? It's not like he was attached to her – he told himself. At any rate, he had his assignment. It was time to find that girl and bring her home once more.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Hey! _Watch_ it, girly!"

TenTen stumbled against the wall. "Sorry..." she mumbled, nodding her apologies as she hid her hands. They had grown unbearably sticky - Xiaoli's blood was caked on her skin like a sickly icing.

The Harbinger shook it off and continued on down the street, making sure to avoid people she couldn't quite see. It was harder than one would think – having only one eye that is.

The girl finally made it away from the hustle and bustle of the busy Tokyo traffic. It was so crowded here – it made Shanghai look like a suburb. At any rate, she was free of it now. The Harbinger wandered into a small park, her good eye zeroing in on any company she might want to be wary of. Lucky for her, there was only one other person here – and an old lady didn't seem too threatening at the moment. TenTen sighed heavily and flopped onto a hospitable bench.

"Why?" she asked aloud. "Why did it turn out like this?" Her voice sounded so wretched...it was almost tragic. A small bird landed on the paved pathway just a few yards from her. It cocked its head to one side in curiosity – maybe expecting some breadcrumbs for its trouble.

TenTen looked at back at it. Copper orbs lingered on tiny black ones. "I don't understand...I thought it'd be different. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but...I didn't think it'd turn out like this..."

The bird hopped two steps closer and cheeped.

"I'm losing it...I'm losing my hate, Bird," Her eye dulled in misery. "I don't want to lose it. I want it back - I want it back more than anything!! Why is this happening to me? Why can't the gods just let me have this one thing, this _one_ thing?! After all that's been taken from me, they still refuse to let me hold onto my hate...and that's all I have left now. Even my family is beginning to turn on me..." She trailed off, allowing her eye to lose focus. "I _want_ to hate him..."

"Who?"

The voice shocked the Harbinger into standing, her hand reached into her coat and latched onto one of the Dragons. Yet, she never pulled it out. "Y-You...why are you here?"

Neji smirked, his hands casually buried in his pockets. "I should ask you that."

"It's none of your business," she replied bitterly, backing a few steps away from him. "I'm not your prisoner anymore, so I don't have to answer to you, Hyuuga."

"Fine." The man eyed her carefully, immediately noting the eye patch, then the bloody hands. It was a cruel reminder of what she'd done not too long ago. "Did you get treatment?" he muttered, averting his eyes, almost ashamed that he still had use of both.

TenTen stared hard at the ground. "No. I did not."

"Why? You might have saved your vision."

"Because..." The girl raised her remaining coppery orb to his face. "I would rather go blind than become your prisoner a second time."

That's what he'd been afraid of. So she really did detest him... "I see."

"Truthfully though..." TenTen shrugged. "I didn't really have a choice. I was unconscious for almost two days, and my sister treated me. But I'm glad she did."

"Why?"

"Well, I thought I just told you..."

"No, not that." Neji's gaze hardened defensively. "Why did you...why did you sacrifice yourself for my sake?"

The girl froze, unsure of how to answer. She didn't even know why she did it – how could she possibly tell him? "I just did it...I didn't have time to think, so I just...moved..."

Neji took a step closer to her, eyes narrowed. "You're telling me that you instinctively protected me? After everything you were put through?"

"Maybe I am!" she retorted, holding her position. "I don't know why I did it, alright!? That's all I can think of! Why do you care anyways? It's not like I'm going to demand recompense, so just leave it alone!"

"I can't leave it alone!" he hissed dangerously, stepping closer yet again. "I never allow a debt to go unpaid – it is dishonorable."

"Would you rather I just let Uchiha kill you?!" she demanded, crimson-stained hands balled into fists.

"Of course not, but how do you know that I would have died in there?! My wound would not have been as severe as yours. Your actions were rash and unwise – your loss is your own fault."

The Harbinger couldn't believe this. "Hah! So _this_ is your game – you're feeling guilty so you're trying to blame me, right? Well, fine. I'll take the blame if you wish. You're right, I was 'unwise'. I was unwise to ever think that saving a guy like you was a good idea!" she spat disdainfully, pivoting on her heels and marching out of the park. "Oh," the girl paused in mid-stride and eyed him with her remaining orb. "By the way, I'm pretty sure Uchiha intended to kill you in there. He was aiming for your fourth cervical vertebrae – a hit there results in paralysis or death as you should know..." Neji could see the triumph in her eye as she turned and continued on her way out.

As he watched her go, the sudden ring of a cell phone broke the bitter stillness. He snapped it open. "Neji."

"What do you want us to do, Sempai? She's heading our way."

"Leave her be..." he commanded. "I'll explain this to Hiashi later."

"You sure? I mean, she's like twenty yards aw—" There was a pause. "Crap! She sees me! Bye!" _CLICK_.

Neji returned the cell phone to his pocket and sighed heavily. "There. I've repaid my debt to you, Harbinger. No more mercy after this." Yet as soon as those words escaped him, Neji felt immediate regret...for a Hyuuga never goes back on his word.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Yes...? Who's this?"

"You know who."

"Do I?" The receiving voice sounded amused.

"Yes. I...have a proposition to make..."

"Really now? Go on."

The second voice paused, unsure if this was really what it wanted. "Let me join your Triad."

"And what price are you willing to pay? Membership isn't exactly free."

"I'll give you the _Tiě Lián_, and all her secrets. Is that enough?"

"Hmmm...we'll see..." The first voice paused for dramatic effect. "Let's meet somewhere to discuss the terms."

"Fine...wait, hold on..." Rustling could be heard on that end of the phone line, then a faint voice asking, "Xiaoli? What are you doing? I thought you were asleep..."

"Nothing. I was ordering out. Is that so—" _CLICK_. The phone went dead. Apparently, she'd just hung up on him.

Enlai smiled – a wicked glint in his dark eyes. "Perfect..." he said. "Everything is going according to plan..."

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**I'm so grateful!!**

tenjichan ((twice!! 3)) – carrii-x3 – Tsukiko Yuki – Matahari – loves-emo-guys-with-hair – Moruni Takinara – Swords and Bandages –

**Alright, today I'll actually respond to some of the reviews (only because people have started asking questions...):**

**--tenjichan: Wh00tness! Thanks so much for the long reviews! I'm so glad you like the story so far. And yes, I felt like it was high time that someone used a language other than Japanese. Also, I agree. Sasuke is a cocky SOB and needs someone to take him down a peg – that person being Neji. I'm sorry to all the Sasuke fans out there. I just don't like him all that much... Anyways, yes – though a 'harbinger' is a forerunner or messenger. You were really close, so kudos! In addition, a 'threnody' is just a funeral song or dirge. I thought it was prettier than those first two, so I just went with it... xD**

**--carrii-x3: thanks for all your reviews so far! I really appreciate it. And yes, I agree with the Sasuke comment. :) **

**--Tsukiko Yuki: mmmm...violence...yummy.**

**--Matahari: yup, I'm going to try and get at that more in the upcoming chapters. I hit on it a little in this one, but...it's not done with yet. Thank you for all your other reviews too. I really appreciate it!**

**--loves-emo-guys-with-hair: OMR? Awesome. And thanks for all your reviews too! I feel so encouraged:sniff: **

**--Moruni Takinara:laughs: No, thank **_**you**_

**--Swords and Bandages: Really?! Thanks so much! Okay, first question – I can't tell you yet...it's gonna be a surprise! Second question – Um, I'm pretty sure I know how I want to end this, and it's not exactly chibi fluff galore...All I can say for sure (without giving stuff away) is that it's not going to be completely happy. :(**

**PHEW! I'm done! Alright, off to start on the next chapter. Bye for now!**

**- Hikari**


	9. More Than Slight Confusion

**Chapter 8****: More Than Slight Confusion**

So…this was how it was, was it? Well, ordinarily he'd accept it as Destiny – the divine will of Fate. However, this time was different. This time…

Neji let his eyelids droop a little. He'd received an earful on how incompetent he was to not find the Chinese girl. He hadn't slept in almost three days…and the day after tomorrow was _the_ day. The big day. The day he wed Hinata – his eighteen year old cousin.

"_And I thought marrying your cousin was something reserved for the lower classes…" _

He flung an arm over his face, as if to block out the image of her. "Shut up…" he muttered into his sleeve.

"_I bet your parents were siblings…"_The sneer painted on her features might have been ugly on anyone else, but on her…it was almost fitting. Those more or less metallic irises seemed to settle themselves into the very depths of his soul – refusing to budge even once she was gone. It was uncanny…though he'd heard the same thing about the Hyuuga's "trademark".

He rolled onto one side, allowing a long mass of hair to fall across those noble features. He wanted to forget about her once and for all, but it was harder than one might think.

"_Do you love her?...You've never seemed like a happy person to me…"_

"Happiness isn't meant for some people."

"_I…thought I'd be happy. I thought I'd found somewhere to belong for the rest of my life…" _Her expression…why did it haunt him even now? It was the same expression they'd paint on those terrible Noh masks – the same expression for the tragic character who'd meet a horrible end. No – he didn't want that. For some reason, he couldn't accept that she'd be the same. Her life seemed like it'd been dragged through Hell and back already. How much more punishment could someone take? And now…she'd given up something else for his sake. Why?

"Why did you do that?" he asked.

"_I just did it…I didn't have time to think…I just…moved…"_

"No. That's not why…you were lying to me."

"_He was aiming for your fourth cervical vertebrae…" _

"Paralysis or death…" Neji repeated slowly. "Life as a cripple or no life at all – was that what you thought? Perhaps…"

"_Do you want to be the family head?...I wonder what it would be like to be without pain…" _

The words seemed to echo around the room. "You knew I did…I just didn't want to marry into it…"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

TenTen picked up the payphone and deposited the handful of change she'd collected. The dull _BOOPBOOPBOOOO_ of the dial tone told her that it was okay to start dialing. She waited, listening to the ring, shivering in the cool nighttime air. The sun had set almost an hour ago, yet the city lights made it seem like she was standing in broad daylight.

"Hello?"

The voice snapped her back to the present – away from her musings. "Enlai?"

"Yeees?" he answered, drawing out the word.

"Is everything in place?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't it be?"

"I just want to be sure. If anything goes wrong…"

A loud chuckle tickled her ear. "Nothing is going to go wrong, alright? Just calm down. Go get a drink or something and _RELAX_. Everything's going according to plan."

TenTen sighed. "A-Alright…that might be a good idea. Remember. At _noon_."

"Of course, of course!" he said. "Now, go get a hard one for me, okay?"

"Fine." _CLICK_. She hung up and drew her coat tighter around herself. "Let's go find us a bar, TenTen…"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Miss?"

"What is it?"

"You sure you're okay? You seem quite tired…perhaps a drink ton—"

"Just. Give. It. To. Me," came the dangerous demand. The bartender sighed and poured out the desired amount of alcohol. The Harbinger gratefully took it and began to sip down the fiery liquid despite the skeptical stare from her server.

The girl shook her head and leaned in close to the other. "Just watch yourself tonight, okay? I don't want any trouble…"

"Why do you assume that I would give you any?"

"I'm not saying that…" The bartender glanced around nervously and leaned in farther. "The Yakuza are showing up later. It's a bachelor party of some sort, so don't get drunk and do something to provoke them, okay? I'm concerned about my customers' safety."

The Yakuza? Bachelor party? Tonight? Her head swirled. It was as if Destiny wanted her and that Hyuuga to continue running into each other. The Harbinger rubbed her temples and rose to her feet. "Well, no worries about that. I'm leaving before that bastard shows up…"

"Too late!" hissed the other girl, pushing TenTen back down as she caught sight of said Yakuza. "Just lay low for a little while, but if you leave now, they'll get suspicious and maybe start something."

"Alright, alright…" TenTen lowered her head and prayed that the dark atmosphere would hide that signature hairstyle of hers.

"Oi! Ayame-chan!" Naruto pushed open the door, waved, and sauntered over. "Still serving my favorite?"

"Naruto-kun!" The bartender smiled. "Well, I'd say that for you – it'd be yes. Just come by during the lunch hour and I'll make you the best bowl of ramen in Tokyo!"

"Sweet!"

The rest of Neji's little entourage followed the blonde, though the Hyuuga was nowhere to be seen. So far, so good. It looked like they hadn't noticed her yet…

"Good evening. We meet yet again."

The voice sent chills through her entire body. Perhaps Luck had left her stranded after all. "Just leave me be, Hyuuga…" Where the hell had he come from? It was ghostlike how he'd just appeared.

He smirked and seated himself on the stool next to hers. "I'm not here to cause trouble. In fact, tonight is supposed to be a...celebration." TenTen noted the disdain dripping from his voice as he carefully pronounced the last word. "I just need a drink – is that so threatening?"

TenTen shook her head and sighed, waving to Ayame for another bottle. "No, I suppose not…"

Neji asked for sake, while TenTen settled for some Baijiu (Chinese drink akin to sake). As they sat in silence, neither one was sure if speech was completely necessary at the moment. The Harbinger noted Sasuke's icy demeanor, which wasn't unexpected (he was practically sulking in a far off corner). Thank God he didn't decide to try something funny...Neji must have set him straight. Hopefully.

"Tell me something..."

She shifted her remaining eye to meet his pearly ones. "What is it?"

"I still want to know."

"What is it you want to know, Hyuuga?" she asked him tiredly. TenTen wished he'd just stop the whole interrogation thing. It was getting old.

"Why you did it." He looked serious, determined to get an answer once and for all. His tone was demanding, pleading for her response. TenTen was rather caught off guard.

The girl's eye dulled into an almost sad expression. "Why can't you just let it be?" she begged. "Why can't you accept that perhaps 'Destiny' determined it?"

Neji stared hard at the wooden bar surface, as if he were studying it for any blemishes or defects. "Because...someone once told me that Destiny is for those too weak to build their own paths..."

The Harbinger rubbed her temples. Damnit. So she couldn't use that excuse... "What exactly do you want from me, Hyuuga? I don't know what it is you want me to say..."

"I just want the truth." He clenched his fists so hard that the smooth knuckles were beginning to turn white. "I don't want your lies...don't tell me that you don't know, or did it 'just because'. I know you had a motive – I want to know what it was."

TenTen turned away, ashamed of what she knew the truth to be. She could hardly admit it to herself, let alone a Hyuuga. "I wanted _you_ to have a life without...pain."

The Hyuuga was silent for he had no idea of how to reply. She took this opportunity to continue. "I thought that maybe...maybe you might be able to _become_ happy. You still had a chance at it. Hell, you're getting married soon...you'll be the _Kumicho_ of your entire Yakuza family...you just have a lot going for you." TenTen looked back to him and smiled, her grin painted on like a mask. "It would have been selfish to let you die in there. I figured that hey – I'm not ever going to be happy, but Hyuuga still has lots to live for. Might as well... And so here we are. You're alive and well, and I'm one eye short."

Neji could hardly believe this. "You wanted me to become happy?" he repeated skeptically. "_That's_ why you sacrificed yourself?"

"_You're_ not a monster..." she told him in a quiet voice. "You're a human being. I'd hate to see another person end up like I have..." TenTen trailed off, absently stirring the liquid in her cup with a lone finger. "There's too many 'TenTen's' already...the world doesn't need another one."

He poured himself another glass of sake and then filled hers, earning himself three taps next to her cup. "TenTen..."

"What, Hyuuga?"

"Your name," he told her, draining his glass in one fluid motion. "It suits you."

She raised an eyebrow. "And what of yours?"

"You may call me 'Neji'."

TenTen smirked. "Neji, eh? Alright then. Tonight, let's forget..."

He stared blankly at her with those beautiful eyes. "Forget what?"

"Everything," she told him. "Let's forget everything...that you and I aren't friends, that you're getting married..._everything_."

Neji raised his glass to her. "A fine idea, but now - _Ganbei _[a Chinese toast meaning "drain your glass..."

TenTen smirked (so he'd finally spoken a "lesser tongue", eh?) and raised hers. "_Ganbei_."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Why, here's the little traitor now..."

Xiaoli frowned upon seating herself at the table in this tiny cafe. "Don't call me that," she ordered darkly.

"Well, that's what you are isn't it? Why should I call you anything else then, _traitor_?" Enlai's placid grin was more a sneer than a friendly gesture.

"Call me that again and you can forget about me joining you."

Enlai feigned horror for a moment, but soon replaced the faux expression with the aloof one he wore when not "pretending". "What a tragedy that would be...but _really_ now. Try to leave, and I'll just give your little Mistress a ring. I bet your punishment would be ten times worse than _that_." He pointed to her disfigured features with a smirk. "...if she lets you live that is..."

The girl responded only with a hateful glare, which gave Enlai a good laugh about the whole thing. "So..." he said, wiping gleeful tears from his dark eyes after a moment. "Tell me. What have you to offer?"

"I know her better than most...only because we've lived together for the longest. I know almost everything about her."

"I'm listening..."

"Well? What do you want to know? I've got the dirt on TenTen and every member of the triad."

"Oho!" he chuckled. "So I see you've gotten bold – refusing to call her 'Mistress'."

Xiaoli's eyes darkened in anger. "She is not my Mistress any longer."

Enlai leaned forward on his elbows, peering at this girl across from him in curiosity. "And why would I want the 'dirt' on your triad? I'm helping you guys out here in Japan."

Here, Xiaoli smirked. "Because," she said. "It's too easy."

"What do you mean?"

"See..." The girl folded her arms across her chest, not even trying to hide the smug look on her disfigured face. "It's worked out too perfectly. You come in and offer to help take out the Hyuuga's, pay for everything, supply us, etc. Why? Why the hell would you help us out?"

"I already told you – my master is getting on in years."

"_Riiight_. Then why didn't he arrange a meeting between himself and TenTen? They should have settled out the details, set up alliances...but there was none of that. You shipped us off to Japan before any suspicions could arise, didn't you?"

Enlai shrugged. "Perhaps..."

"And why is it you've brought along enough men to outnumber us two to one? You knew that TenTen only accepts girls into her triad, so you've gone and ensured that the _Tiě Lián_ won't be able to stand against you should things not go according to 'plan'. Not the plan we'd discussed, but _your_ plan..."

The man smirked dangerously and eyed the girl before him with careful precision. "You're a smart one, but if you've figured this out, wouldn't you think TenTen would have too?"

Xiaoli grinned, shaking her head disbelievingly. "She's too blind to see the truth. Vengeance has clouded her vision – but you must have known this, right?"

"Maybe."

"So, am I in or not?"

Enlai nodded yes, and drew out a small pocket-knife. "First, I'll tell you that under no circumstances are you to repeat what we've discussed just now, understand?"

It was her turn to nod.

"Good. Now, we've got a job to do. I've already contacted Hyuuga Hiashi, but it seems that your former Mistress has eluded the Yakuza thus far since then. The police, also, have been looking for her...you remember that time in the park? I was late and that moron bodyguard found a dog?"

She stared blankly.

"Well, that dog turned out to belong to Kakashi-san's specially trained K-9 unit. They've been keeping tabs on the whole situation since you girls arrived."

Xiaoli continued to stare blankly. "Y-You've been...planning this for _how_ long?"

The man smirked and twirled the blade between his fingers. "See - I don't intend to just 'one-up' the _Tiě Lián._ I intend to destroy it."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Wow...this stuff was jet fuel. TenTen swallowed hard, trying to get it out of her throat. "Damnit, Neji! What the hell is this stuff?!"

"It's called 'sake'," he told her calmly, draining another glass like it was water.

"I knew _that_..." The Harbinger – not wanting to be outdone – poured herself another glass as well. "I've never been beaten in a drinking game, and tonight is no exception!"

Neji eyed her carefully while he poured himself another glass. One eyebrow was raised in either amusement or disgust – TenTen couldn't tell which it was. "So, you've never been beaten?"

"Nope."

He smirked and drained his cup again. "Well, that's about to change."

TenTen glared angrily at him and grabbed the entire bottle. "Alright, pretty boy. Let's settle this once and for all. I'm not about to lose to a pansy-ass Japanese like you!"

"Oh, so now we've got the honor of our countries riding on this?"

She nodded and waved to Ayame to bring some fresh bottles over, which the waitress did rather skeptically. "Of course. If I lose, then China's tears will never cease to fall."

"Poetic." Neji reached for his own 24 oz. jug with an amused expression dancing in his eyes. TenTen couldn't help but stare at them numbly – they were too beautiful, especially when there was some kind of emotion filling that icy void. "And should I lose, the sorrow of Japan would fill the oceans twice over."

The two stared hard at each other for a moment...then as if by some telekinetic communication, they slammed the bottles to their lips and promptly began to drain them. TenTen took more of the chugging approach, whilst Neji took care to not spill a single drop. It wasn't a speed contest after all. It was an endurance test.

Bottle after bottle after bottle...the pair continued on. However, neither showed signs of inebriation. They were both seasoned drinkers it appeared.

After six jugs each, the two decided to take a little break. TenTen swished the remaining liquid around in her glass container, staring off tiredly into the many colorful bottles of alcohol behind the bar.

"So, you excited?"

"About what?"

"_You_ know...getting married, maybe?"

"Hn."

She smirked. "I'll take that as 'yes' then."

Neji glared daggers at her in response. "No."

"Psh...yeah, right! I bet you're _dying_ to say those vows."

He continued to glare. "I think you are mistaken..." he hissed. "I have no wish whatsoever to wed my cousin."

"Prove it," TenTen challenged, a smug look painted on her features. At his lack of an answer, the girl laughed and began to say something...but was cut off as a sudden hand on her shoulders pulled her close in one swift movement. She felt his lips pressed chastely to her startled ones, but...it wasn't real. It wasn't _real_ – or so she told herself...

The kiss wasn't passionate or even heated. It was just...a kiss. Simple, unadulterated, clean: that's what came to mind. TenTen could only accept his caress in stunned silence. Her eyes widened in shock as she was pulled forward, but no protest could be heard. Their breath mingled together in quiet bursts – their hearts thudding loudly within their quivering chests. TenTen felt those same emotions starting to bubble over...those same emotions she'd felt just before losing her eye. Neji released her after only a few seconds - his eyes still cold and calculating as ever as he looked into her warm brown one.

TenTen might have kept her mouth shut and let things be...if that damn stoniness hadn't provoked her. The Harbinger looked away in utter embarrassment, unsure of what to say – her cheeks flushed crimson. This wasn't like what Uchiha had done to her...no. This was something of a much higher degree of offense.

"...Heh..." she laughed lightly, reaching for her bottle once more. "I suppose the sake tonight is stronger than I thought..."

Neji continued to stare at her in silence. What the hell was going through that twisted mind of his? Damnit! He was playing mind games with her again!! TenTen's mind started reeling. What the—

"There."

She glanced over at him cautiously, afraid as if he might try something again. "What do you mean 'there'?"

"I just proved to you that I have no feelings for Hinata-san."

"That didn't prove anything! I could go around kissing every guy in this place, just to 'prove' the same point. But would it? Of course not!"

"But I did just prove _something_, did I not?"

"Oh? Like what?"

"Perhaps..." Neji paused as if considering something. TenTen could only look away in awkwardness once again while she waited for his reply.

"I think that drinking together was a bad idea," she proposed after a moment, laughing quietly – though her eyes seemed sad despite the act. "You've obviously had too much tonight, and I believe that I have also had more than my share...otherwise, I'm sure I'd have slapped those overzealous thoughts out of your head the moment you touched me."

He narrowed his eyes and looked away. There it was again – that same pained look she'd seen after refusing to become his partner. Did he...?

"Does it have to be the alcohol?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why do you automatically assume that the alcohol is clouding my mind – altering my decisions and thoughts?"

TenTen chuckled and took a swig of her sake. She needed more alcohol herself actually. This was getting out of hand...

"And why would it not be?" she asked suddenly, her voice dangerous and low. "You're actually asking me to believe that you _kissed_ me in complete sobriety?!"

His stare only hardened in response.

"And what exactly are you trying to pull off then? Are you trying to 'win me over' somehow?!"

Again - silence.

"Are you trying to say you actually care about me?"

"No, that isn't it at all." Neji's scowl lightened slightly, just enough for her to see through to the wretchedness behind those beautiful eyes. "I think that perhaps...we don't have to be enemies."

This wasn't happening. No, it couldn't be! TenTen began guzzling a fresh bottle of sake in an attempt to shut this out. Maybe...if she got drunk enough and passed out...

"Please, stop." She felt a firm hand on her own, tugging the bottle of sake out of her grip.

"Let me alone, Hyuuga," came the threatening reply.

"No, you don't know what you're doing. Please don't do this..."

"Why shouldn't I?!" she hissed. "Here, my nemesis kisses me and tells me 'let's be friends' – wouldn't you think I'd need a drink?"

"I believe we agreed to forget about that for tonight. However," he released her hand and turned coldly away. "It seems that I am not the only one at fault."

"And what exactly do you mean by that?"

"You sacrificed yourself for my happiness. Is that not reason enough to settle our differences and act civilly towards one another?"

The Harbinger put a hand to her forehead. Why was this happening? She shouldn't have opened that big mouth of hers to begin with. This man...the very man she was supposed to kill in two days...no. She couldn't be. There was no way.

"No."

"Then what would be?"

She eyed him with her single sepia orb. "Nothing. Nothing at all." The Harbinger shakily rose from her seat and turned to exit the bar. Neji could only stare at the location she'd just vacated – confused and disappointed. Why? Why was she being like this? Cold and aloof...he usually filled that description, but tonight it seemed TenTen had taken it up for him.

He heard the door close with a dull _THUD_, the clacking of her heels slowly fading into the darkness. If only he knew how much he'd hurt her tonight...he'd have never come here in the first place.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**Phew! I'm sorry it took so long to update this. Anyways, I'm so grateful!!!**

– tenjichan (5 times!!) – xNejitenx – Matahari – Tsukiko Yuki – Moruni Takinara – DemonBrownie – Swords and Bandages – Snowcharms –

**Well, I'm not going to say much this time, other than...I've figured out the ending!! I was so happy. : Anyways, yesh. Look forward to it – I command you (ha, just kidding). Um, sorry for the OOC-ness this chapter. I tried hard to keep it low, but you know how these things work out sometimes, right? And if I've left you slightly confused, then...I'm sorry. Just ask and I'll explain in further detail. **_**So**_**...until then, I'm off.**

**- Hikari **


	10. Turning Point

**Chapter 9: Turning Point**

It was hopeless.

Everything... lost...

TenTen buried her face deep within her arms, her resolve to remain calm dissolving away...the same as her entire dream of claiming revenge. Why, _why_ did it come to this now? When had she become so weak? This boy would be her undoing if something wasn't done. Did she have it in her to kill him? Did she even..._want_ revenge anymore?

The very contemplation made her groan aloud, her slender fingers reaching up to tangle themselves in an auburn mass of hair. Everything...everyone was counting on _her –_ on her decision, her action tomorrow. The girl had never felt so pressured in her life, not even when she'd been in shoot-outs, drug trades, etc. No, this was a whole new level of stress.

And that kiss...that _damn_ kiss...

The Harbinger rubbed her temples wearily, attempting to quell the smoldering migraine that had plagued her all morning. Stupid drinking games...stupid Hyuuga. Why'd he have to go and get her all confused like this? It wasn't fair. In fact, it was absurdly _un_fair to say the least. The sudden scream of the telephone sent a sharp pang through her head – if she could kill a telephone, she would do it gladly. Instead, TenTen only groaned again and picked up the receiver. "What?!" she demanded hoarsely.

"Eh, is something wrong, Mistress?"

Damnit. It was Enlai – the bastard...why the hell did he have to call? "What is it?"

"The explosives are in place, and my men have been debriefed phase by phase. Is everything good on your end?"

"Damnit, yes!" she nearly shouted, just wanting to get off the phone. "We already discussed this last night!"

"I just wanted to make sure you weren't...having second thoughts." There was a long pause, then "Are you?" His voice was velvety. What was he getting at exactly?

It took a second, but TenTen finally muttered a low, "No. I'm not."

"Good!" he chirped, seemingly cheered by the answer. "Then I'll see you tomorrow!" _CLICK_.

The Mistress hung up as well, glad for the resumed silence about her. The rest of her group was resting in their rooms, saying prayers, burning incense, etc. Who knew who'd live and who'd die tomorrow? TenTen took a deep breath and pulled out her duffel bag full of weaponry. Maybe after a shower...maybe she would clean them for one last time.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Today. _Today_ was the day. "Make or break..." – that's what the Americans said, right?

TenTen pulled her hair into its signature style, coloring her lips and applying her make-up like war paint. She pulled on a fresh red dress, then strapped on the holsters holding her various guns and knives. And lastly came the black coat – "Harbinger" it declared boldly. Yes...she would be the Harbinger. She would bury her emotions and bury the Hyuugas all in one bloody confrontation, a confrontation that had been eagerly expected for years. The eagerness though...it wasn't there today. In fact, the Mistress was rather dreading this. She shook her head vigorously, trying to clear the unwelcome thoughts from it. If she couldn't concentrate properly, she wouldn't be able to do her job, and not doing her job meant that she'd be endangering the entire triad, not just herself.

"Mistress?"

Yingtai... The Harbinger's eye softened as she looked to her little sister. She must have come in just now. "Yes?" she asked her in a small voice.

"Before we head out, I...I wanted you to know that, well..." The words were trapped in the young girl's throat. Tears threatened to spill over at any moment now. "I'm so glad you were my sister," she finally blurted. "I won't ever forget what you've done for me, for all of us. If anything happens today, I just wanted you to know beforehand."

TenTen nodded slowly, unable to speak. Yes, yes she felt the same way. How could they know how much she feared for their lives today? Did they know how much she loved them? They were her family and now...why did it feel like she'd sentenced them to death?

"Yingtai, thank you. I'm glad you were my sister too, but don't worry. Nothing will happen," she assured the girl weakly. Heh. It was funny how things worked, wasn't it? The Harbinger knew she'd lied through her teeth just now, because she also knew something big would definitely happen. But as to what it was, she couldn't possibly know that until it was already too late.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The drive had been tense; everyone was definitely on edge. TenTen had sat with her eye closed, playing through the possible situations and responses that might occur within these next few moments. "What time is it?" she murmured aloud as she felt the car slow to a stop.

"Eleven forty-five."

Gai's voice sounded funny, she thought. The Mistress took a deep breath to relax her muscles. This was it. "Alright, everyone out!" The car emptied in an instant. The nervous glances and shuffling of feet told TenTen that they were as anxious as she was. "Remember – no one fires until I give the signal, okay?"

They merely nodded.

"Good. Now, let's go crash a wedding."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Neji Hyuuga wasn't a man of many words. In fact, he rarely spoke unless necessary. However, he did a lot of thinking, some days more than others. And today was one of those days. A wedding was supposed to be a joyous occasion, but why did this feel like a funeral instead? he questioned in silence.

Neji adjusted his traditional robes nervously. Marrying his cousin was one of the last things he wanted to do today...especially after last night. _Her_ face just kept popping into his head, invading his thoughts and toying with his emotions. If he _had_ to marry anyone...he wished it'd be her. He wished it'd be TenTen.

"Neji-sempai?" Naruto poked his head into the room. "Ya' ready? Hinata-san is waiting for you..."

The Hyuuga couldn't help but notice the distinct sadness in Naruto's tone. Though the blonde would never admit it, Neji knew for a fact that he and Hinata shared the same feelings for each other. It was sad how everything would be torn to shreds, just because Hiashi wanted a "promising successor". Depressing. Perhaps this was his Destiny after all, the divine will of Fate. Well, it sucked whatever it was.

"I'm coming..." he sighed lethargically. No use in putting it off any longer, right?

Upon entering the Hyuuga family's personal Shinto shrine, the boy immediately looked away from Hinata. How disgusting – how hateful to inbreed like this! That Chinese girl had been right. This was a sick practice of theirs. The priest made a few opening comments, said a few blessings, etc., etc., etc. Neji wasn't really interested in paying attention to this load of crap. However, when the priest stopped in mid-sentence, the young Hyuuga couldn't resist looking up in curiosity.

There she stood – a living, breathing nightmare come to haunt even his waking moments.

"You..." he breathed incredulously, his pearlescent eyes widening in a mixture of emotions – surprise, happiness, fear...anger. The girl completely ignored him however, as she stood just feet from the crowd's edge. How long had she been there? What was she going to do? And were those members of her triad? "What...what are you doing?"

Yet again, she ignored him. She wouldn't even _look_ at him! Why? Then came her reply – the Harbinger suddenly reached into her jacket and whipped out both her Dragons. "Today is the day – the day I reclaim drop for drop every bit of blood your family spilled," came her icy sentencing. "I will send you to Hell for what you did to my family."

Neji's stare hardened ruefully. So his family is the one she'd come to murder was it? And on his _wedding day_?! Granted, he wasn't exactly happy about it, but for her to come in and declare war on them like this? Who did she think she was?! But still...he couldn't help but feel a sharp pain run through his chest. He felt betrayed, deceived. Then, the distinctly aloof voice of Hiashi snapped him out of his musings.

"'Harbinger' is it?" came the _Kumicho's_ scornful tone. "Perhaps we could do this another time? We're in the middle of something important here."

TenTen looked absolutely livid. Her remaining eye burned with cold fury, a hatred Neji had only heard rumors of. He noticed her hands trembling in anger, and wished Hiashi wouldn't have provoked her to this point. Oddly enough, Neji felt...sorry for TenTen. It was strange, but after everything she'd told him...she didn't deserve to die like this. Not now.

"Sorry, but no. I've waited _twelve_ _years_ for today, and a filthy Hyuuga will not ruin it for me!!" she hissed venomously, raising her guns to fire. Neji closed his eyes and instinctively stepped in front of Hinata, waiting for the shots to come...but they never did. Opening his eyes again with caution, the boy was shocked to see her, the Mistress of the Tiě Lián, crying.

Yes, crying.

She stood rigidly, her fingers on the triggers, trembling. Her coppery iris was locked on his two – never blinking, never moving. And the tears...there were so many _tears_! Why in the world was she crying? Was it anger, resentment, hatred? Or was it something deeper than that?

Taking this opportunity to retaliate, Hiashi stood and screamed, "_Kill_ _her_!! Kill her _now_!" His entire face contorted as he spoke – Neji had never hated him more than at this moment. She could have slaughtered them all, but she'd refrained, and now Hiashi had practically spit in her face for it. He was completely and utterly confused.

Responsively, TenTen snapped out of her trance and turned to shriek, "NOW!!"...but something stopped her.

Standing right behind her, with a gun pressed hard against her Mistress's chest, was Xiaoli. An ugly smirk danced across her distorted features as she murmured, "Don't move."

The Harbinger's eye widened in shock at her sister's betrayal. "X-Xiaoli..."

"You thought I'd follow you around blindly for the rest of my life? Stupid, stupid TenTen. I was only waiting for something like this to finish you off myself." The older girl had never been so hurt in her life. She could feel the bitter sting of fresh tears and it hurt like hell right now. Xiaoli continued in the same sneering tone she'd taken up. "Well, I guess this is it for you. Time to die."

TenTen clenched her jaw, waiting to die like a dog. Then a shrill, "Mistress!" made her turn to glimpse a small blur attack the traitor, the traitor who turned and fired in a panic.

"_Yingtai_!!" the Mistress screamed in hysteria, now raising her own guns mechanically and jerking back the triggers to avenge this atrocity. Xiaoli's expression turned from horror to shock as the bullets ripped through her body, tearing her apart piece by piece. TenTen emptied two entire magazines into her former sister, not caring if this was a waste of ammunition. When nothing more would come, she viciously lashed out with the end of her gun, smashing the smoldering metal into Xiaoli's already-maimed face. The sound of shattering bones was magnificent.

"M-Mis...tress..."

Sobbing, she turned away from a mutilated Xiaoli to her fallen sister who had been scooped up protectively in Gai's strong arms. Yingtai looked so weak, so frail. It was obvious this was to be her end. That filthy conspirator's bullet had ripped through her throat, spilling this child's blood everywhere. And this was blood that could not be "unspilled".

Watching silently, scornfully, Hiashi allowed himself to smirk at this heart-breaking scene. "Enlai," he called simply.

TenTen's swollen eye shot up in a questioning glare. "What did you say?" she demanded coldly, praying that this wasn't what she thought it was. Gai cradled Yingtai carefully, preparing to run, whilst Lee balled his fists and prepared to fight. This was getting more dangerous by the minute. Where were the others? They should have been in position by now, but they were nowhere in sight. Then it began to dawn on her. The Harbinger stood and fluidly reloaded her guns. "_Trap_" her mind screamed.

"That's right, Mistress," cooed that all-too-familiar voice, the voice she wanted to rip from its owner's throat. TenTen watched as Enlai walked out from the crowd's midst. Damnit! Why hadn't she noticed him there?! "I think that it's time for you to leave. This is a wedding for goodness sake!"

She only pointed the Dragons in his face.

"Now, now. I don't think that would be wise," he said with confidence, though she could hear his voice shake slightly.

The girl looked around her, noticing now that the Yakuza had pulled out their own guns. Not good. "You treacherous bastard – you've been planning this all along, haven't you?!" she shouted in his face.

Enlai smirked. "Perhaps, but it's too late to do anything about it now. A little over an hour ago, my men finished off those little girls you sent along with me. Aww, don't cry, Mistress. You couldn't have known you'd kill them."

God – she wanted to blow his face off so badly right now! "That's...not true...It's not!" she sobbed, unable to hold back her sorrow.

"Oh, but it is!" he sang cheerfully. "It..."

The Harbinger wasn't sure why he trailed off, but a familiar "Mistress!" forced her to look. A bloody and tattered group was making their way to her now, and it wasn't the twenty strong she'd sent with Enlai just last month. No – now there were seven. Seven not counting herself, Gai, and Lee. TenTen turned back to Enlai. "I'm going to castrate you before this is over," she told him.

He smiled nervously, unsure how the girls had escaped certain Death. At this point, Hiashi took control. "Kill them," he said nonchalantly. "But leave their Mistress. I want her to suffer before she dies."

His men nodded and raised their guns to fire, just as TenTen shrieked "RUN!!" The group instantly turned and fled, knowing that to fight head-on would be suicide. Neji could only watch in utter horror as the broken triad retreated for now, avoiding fatalities from the reign of gunfire his uncle had demanded. The wedding was unquestionably cancelled until this matter was resolved. War had been declared, and the Hyuugas would not rest until their enemy had been crushed. Completely and irrevocably crushed.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

TenTen couldn't stop her tears that night.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd cried like this – maybe it was after Bohai had died all those years ago, but she couldn't be sure. Either way, she couldn't stop even if she'd wanted to. Yingtai, her most beloved sister, had been brutally murdered in an attempt to protect her. _Her_. Why?! What for? She wasn't worth saving. She'd brought them all here to die, and yet Yingtai had sacrificed her life for her. The child had had so much to live for. She was beautiful, smart, strong...and now she was dead. And it was all TenTen's fault, wasn't it?

The Mistress buried her face in her hands, despair and self-loathing washing over her entire frame as the remains of her triad attempted to dress their multiple wounds. Enlai's group had ambushed them on the way to the wedding resulting in an absolute bloodbath...but in the end, her girls came out on top. TenTen didn't know if she should be proud or heartbroken.

"Mistress?"

She refused to look up but responded with a broken, "Yes, Lee?"

"Are you hurt?"

Guilt raked itself across her mind. No. No, she was not hurt. She had escaped completely unscathed, whilst Yingtai lay dead in the next room, and her seven remaining sisters were riddled with bullets and knife wounds. "...No..." she sobbed wretchedly. Lee seemed to understand, and left without another word. TenTen could not be comforted right now.

As she contemplated what to do at this point, the Mistress realized how difficult this had become. The Yakuza controlled Tokyo. That meant her triad would be tracked down effortlessly, then slaughtered. And the police? The police were with the Yakuza on this one. With a bit of sweet-talking from Enlai, they'd been convinced that the Tiě Lián were the true trouble-makers. _They_ were the ones at fault here.

TenTen looked up, her lone eye swollen from tears. She knew now what had to be done. If she wanted any of her triad to survive, she must give up this ludicrous idea of revenge. She must focus now on her living loved ones, instead of the ones from her past. The girl felt sick to her stomach, giving up her life's dream – no, her life's _purpose_ – like this.

And it was all because she hadn't been able to pull the damn trigger and kill Hyuuga Neji.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Cold...it was so Goddamn cold in here!

Neji shivered and tugged the blankets around himself, hoping that it might retain some kind of heat if he did so. It wasn't working too well as of yet. However, though he found this chill unbearable, he was thankful for it. He was thankful because it meant he was alone instead of sharing a bed with Hinata. It meant he wasn't married to someone he had no desire to be with...ever.

Neji was troubled by one thing in particular though. Why had he wished for Hinata's replacement to be that Chinese girl? He'd had no relationship with her outside of interrogations...and various mishaps, but still. That shouldn't constitute love. But the truth of it was...

She was the closest thing he'd had to love.

Grunting irritably at his own confusing thought-processes, the Hyuuga resolved to find her before Hiashi could. Oh, he'd play along with his uncle's little "genocide" tactic, but he wouldn't hurt TenTen. He couldn't hurt her, not after what she'd done at the wedding, and not when she hesitated to kill him after...everything. She had all the reason to do it. She had every reason in the world to execute them all where they stood.

Yet, she hadn't. Why?

Neji needed some answers, and he fully intended to get them out of her just like before. Only...

He just had to find her first.

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**H'omygawsh! So many reviews for this chapter (well, it's been like a year since I updated so...yesh)!!! 'Sanku to:**

- Matahari – Mariana – Quiet Moon – Snow Charms – tenji-chan – loves-emo-guys-with-hair – Swords and Bandages – xXLife-sucksXx – KunoichiHiddenwithinShadows – DemonicAngel08 – AngeChen –

**You are all too kind, and I'm terribly sorry to go AWOL on you like that. I'm not incredibly happy with this chapter, but I heard that you'll never recover from writer's block if you sit on your arse and don't write at all. So here we are. The chapter's short, but I think I got through the tough part which I had no idea how to write...so now the story should move right along again (hopefully)! Anyways, I'll be sitting at my computer, frantically pounding away on the keyboard until the next chapter's done. So until then, seeya' later, bishes. **

**- Hikari**


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